Kuvira Fluff
by sandstorm7
Summary: The awful life Kuvira had is almost just a memory now. As the mother of three beautiful adopted children and back doing the job she was meant to do, she's happier than she's ever been, and grateful for every little moment. (A fuzzy little prelude to Book 5: Redemption and more.)
1. Another Day

**Disclaimer:** This is based before _Book 5: Redemption_ , which I based after _The Dictator_ by riot3672. I did not write it or claim any ownership of it. It's awesome. It'll make you cry. Check it out.

* * *

"So," Councilman Gerlun clarified as he sat, a larger, more monotone fellow, "in summary, this legislation is just what we need?"

Councilman Artok nodded, alternatively standing, spry, full of optimism. "Indeed," he said with his eager smile. "In layman's terms, this'll be the thing that'll get the Earth Kingdom's economy rolling again."

"So long as the people want to work."

"So long as the people want to work," Artok admitted, nodding.

Gerlun hummed in thought, rubbing his chin. "Hmm...What say you, Prime Minister?"

All the council members looked to Kuvira. She sat at the head of the large round table, with her hands gently folded in front of her face, deep in contemplation.

She finally looked up and nodded in agreement. "Yes. This is exactly what the Earth Kingdom needs at this time. So long as the public is willing, which I am most certain it is, this many jobs can only be beneficial. All for?"

All twenty of the councilmen raised a hand, including Gerlun after a second's hesitation.

Kuvira smiled. "Alright, then. I'll have the listing forms and approval filled out by tomorrow." She smiled at Artok. "Thank you, Councilman Artok."

He nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Prime Minister."

Kuvira nodded back, straightening her notes. "This meeting's adjourned. Thank you, everyone."

#

Kuvira walked out from her office to the lobby of the Earth Parliament building, all of her papers sorted and collected in her folder. It was just after three, though she didn't feel particularly drowsy today. Perhaps it had been that extra cup of tea that morning: jasmine, as Iroh would have suggested.

She looked around at all the people talking and bustling about, exchanging the occasional smile and wave and nod. There was always a substantial crowd, always business that needed dealing with.

But amidst the crowd today, she caught Artok talking with...King Wu?

 _What's he doing here? What happened to that charity deal?_

She walked closer. She could've sworn she'd heard Wu say something about a "tropical island."

Artok chuckled. "Well, she no doubt deserves it."

"But," Wu thought aloud, " _when_? I mean, she always has so much to do!"

Artok rubbed his chin. "I don't know about the _tropical_ island, but something more...simple, humble, when the time's right for her."

"You're right, you're right. Just her with her kids, probably."

Kuvira breathed in with a smile.

 _Time to find out._

She quietly stopped next to Wu, going unnoticed for a moment. "Hello, Wu."

Wu leapt back with a "wah!" of surprise. He quickly recollected himself. "Uh...heh- _hey_! Kuvira!" He gave her two quick friendly punches in the shoulder. "How's my _favorite_ prime minister doin'?"

Kuvira took the punches with a smile. "I believe I am your _only_ prime minister." She nodded at Artok. "Councilman Artok."

He returned the nod. "Kuvira."

Kuvira smiled. She always made the effort to get to know the other Parliament members on a personal basis, but always made sure that they were addressed with the proper respect they deserved. And Artok most certainly did deserve respect. He had actually been a commander in the campaign to reunite the Earth Kingdom, just as optimistic and incorrigible then as he was now. He'd left just after the first year however, due to family matters. In hindsight, Kuvira was thankful for that now. He was lucky. He'd gotten out early, before...everything got out of hand.

She looked back at Wu. "Is there something that I'm needed for here?"

Wu and Artok exchanged a look. " _Nope_!" Wu said. "Everything's just fine! You're not needed! Well, I mean, you're always kinda needed. _Always_ needed."

Kuvira raised a brow and smirked. "Am I being superseded here? I thought I still had one term left in office."

"Oh you and your big words," Wu said with obviously fake irritation, pushing Kuvira away. "Go on! Shoo, shoo! Important kingly business!"

Kuvira laughed as she was pushed. "Okay, okay! You only had to say so!"

"Nah," Artok said with a smile, waving the king down. "It's alright, sir. She can stay."

Wu stopped his pushing. "Alrighty, then." He pointed at Kuvira, squinting. "But I got my eye on you."

Kuvira stepped back up with a chuckle. "So, Wu, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Lijiang?"

"I was!" he said. "I thought I'd have to be there longer, but as it turns out, holding babies and smiling for pictures flies by pretty quick!"

Artok snorted. "I thought they made you leave early because you dropped a baby."

Kuvira looked at Wu with wide eyes. "Oh my goodness. You _dropped_ a _baby_?"

" _Almost_!" Wu corrected defensively. "It was a wriggly little guy! I played it off as going to throw him up in the air! No one noticed!"

Artok inhaled to say something, but Wu cut him off with a point. "And I _caught it_ too."

Kuvira chuckled. "So some good came out of it after all?"

"Yep," Wu said with a glad nod. "A _lot_ of good. Lijiang's really goin' on the up-and-up now."

Kuvira nodded. "Great." She looked down in thought for a moment. "Were you able to get to the orphanage?"

Wu smiled, quiet and sincere. "There's more kids going out than in."

Kuvira sighed in relief. "Good. Thank you."

Wu nodded. He looked over at the clock. "And would you look at that! Time to hit the spa! Don't wanna keep them waiting!" He gave a little salute to Artok and Kuvira. "Councilman. Gumdrop."

He strolled away, arms a-swinging.

Artok raised a brow at Kuvira. " _Gumdrop_?"

Kuvira nodded. "Yep."

Artok glanced back at Wu as he strolled. A smirk tugged at his lips. "You... _allow_ that?"

Kuvira sighed. "Honestly, it's not so much allowing as it is accepting." She looked back at Artok. "So, can you _really_ not tell me what you two were discussing?"

Artok shifted stiffly, his hands behind his back. "Um...not really. It's, uh...confidential. F-For now, I mean, at least."

Kuvira smiled. "And here I thought I was doing a decent job as Prime Minister. Guess I'm being impeached after all."

Artok smirked. "Oh we'd wait to do that until after you fill out that legislation first. It's nothing bad, really. It's just...uhh..."

Kuvira laughed. "Alright, alright. Whatever it is can stay a secret." She turned to walk away. "Have a good day, Artok."

He smiled and nodded. "You too, Prime Minister."

#

The sun was shining brighter that walk home than it had been most days, thanks to summer waiting just around the corner. That also meant that school was almost just around the corner too. Finally, Takeo would stop being bored out of his mind.

Kuvira walked up to the main door of her house. Hearing the giggles of her adopted children on the other side instantly made her smile. She opened up the door and walked inside.

"Whoa!" Arnav laughed, a grown man getting tackled to the floor by eight-year-old Takeo, with three-year-old Park wrapping himself around his leg like a little Pentapus, and also with six-year-old Anaya unfairly stealing the ball away from him amidst the commotion.

"Kids!" Kuvira called out with a chuckle, figuring she should save their babysitter. "I'm home!"

All three of her kids looked up at the sound of her voice. "Mama!" Anaya called back, dropping the ball and running to hug her.

"Mom!" "Mommy!" Takeo and Park called as well, joining the hug.

"Oof," Arnav said with a wince, picking himself off of the floor. He looked up. He smiled. "Kuvira! 'Bout time you got here!"

"Sorry," she apologized, kneeling and hugging her kids. "The sun hasn't been this bright in a while, and the meeting ran a little long. Artok's proposition for a new job package wouldn't go through unless Gerlun was completely sold on it."

"Ugh," Arnav said with a roll of his eyes. " _Gerlun_. That guy's always a stick in the mud, isn't he?"

"He's a good man," Kuvira said, walking over and setting her folder on a table. "He's just—"

"A stick in the mud?"

"I was going to say pragmatist, but I suppose that works too." She picked up Park, holding him on her hip. "They were good?"

" _Well_..." Arnav began with a smirk, crossing his arms. "Good? Yes. Fair? I think Park needs to work on not using his size to _cheat_."

"Tactical advantage," Kuvira said with a smile, giving Park a kiss on his cheek.

The toddler giggled as she held him. "Mommy, when's Korra coming back?"

Korra. She'd been gone for weeks, even though she'd asked for little tour of Parliament and everything Kuvira did as Prime Minister. First it was to the South Pole to visit her family, then to the Fire Nation for political business, then to the Spirit World to—

The Spirit World. Kuvira had been meaning to meditate there for _so_ long, but she'd never had the time to do it, what with all the recent packages and legislations and...

Kuvira blinked. She held her forehead with her free hand. "I'm," she said, spacey, "not sure when she'll be back, little buddy. Soon, I hope."

Arnav laughed. "Whoa. Looks like someone could use a cup of tea."

Kuvira set Park back down on the floor. "Yes. That...sounds nice."

"Welp," Arnav said, gesturing, "kitchen's free." He pointed at the kids. "Remember, guys: make sure you stay away from the cranky old lady with the curly hair."

All three of the kids shivered in fear. What had Arnav told them about the neighbors _this_ time?

" _Arnav_ ," Kuvira said with tempered sternness, "what have I told you about scaring the kids like that?"

"Oh," Arnav said sheepishly, the kids giggling at him. "Sorry. I just don't want Mrs. Chohun yelling at them for being in her yard."

"Please," Kuvira said with a roll of her eyes. "Mrs. Chohun wouldn't hurt a bumble-fly."

"Alright, alright," Arnav said honestly. "No more scary stories, I promise." He waved as he walked to the door. "Later, guys! Later, Kuvira."

"Bye!" the kids all called.

Arnav walked out and closed the door behind him. His satomobile could be heard as he drove away.

"Hey, Mom!" Takeo said excitedly, picking up the ball. "Are you ready to play earth-soccer with us?"

Kuvira suddenly lost her smile. "Oh...guys, I'm so sorry. I know I promised, but I have a lot of paperwork to fill out first. I'll try to make it as quick as I can."

"Oh," Anaya said. "Okay. That's fine, Mama! We'll just play by ourselves!"

Kuvira started smiling again. "Thank you, 'Naya."

The three of them hurried off, giggling and tossing the ball to each other.

Kuvira walked into the kitchen with her folder. She got herself that cup of tea, and sat down at the table to begin sorting through papers.

Lost in the statistics and signatures, Kuvira remembered something, something that she hadn't remembered in a surprisingly long time...

#

Suyin sat at her desk in her office, sorting through papers. She'd been in that very same position many years ago, when Kuvira...

 _Kuvira had moved out of the house less than a week ago, finally eighteen years old, old enough to join the guard. It had been her dream to join, ever since she learned metalbending and tried on one of the guard's helmets, which was several sizes too big for her little head at the time._

 _"Hey, Mom?"_

 _Suyin turned from her desk to see Kuvira in the doorway. How clean and confident she looked in uniform, still wearing her braided hair with that bang curl she taught her after she'd taken her in._

 _Wait..._

 _Did Kuvira just call her "Mom?"_

 _"Some of the guards," Kuvira said, completely unaware, "are saying that there's not enough cover near the southern station, and Captain Dernau's not around to..."_

 _She trailed off, noticing Suyin's surprised look. Her eyes widened. She almost immediately started blushing._

 _Suyin went to say something, but Kuvira managed to stammer, "I...N-Nevermind. We'll...figure it out."_

 _Kuvira hurriedly walked away, out of the room, an embarrassed little mess._

 _After a moment, Suyin turned back to her desk. She couldn't help but smile. Even as Kuvira strove for immaculate professionalism and independence, she still thought of her as family._

Suyin looked up from her papers.

She stood, and walked out of her room. She needed to see if she could find something.

#

Kuvira quietly blushed as she turned the next page over. She _really_ said that to Su. She would've laughed at herself if it wasn't so utterly embarrassing. Finally eighteen, finally moved out, finally able to act for herself, and she called her _Mom_. How had she let that slip? She hadn't called her Mom for almost as long as she'd been eighteen. In fact, she...hadn't ever really called her Mom since she was _twelve._

Was that when it started? Was it _that_ early when she stopped seeing the Beifongs as family? Or, rather, when she realized that they _weren't_ really her family? Why hadn't she ever—?

The kids yelling.

A smack.

Park starting to cry.

Kuvira sighed.

 _Oh spirits..._

She got up out of her chair, losing her blush as she hurried into the living room.

She saw the scene: Takeo standing angrily next to a crying Park, currently holding his cheek. Anaya standing sheepishly to the side of the room. The ball quietly bouncing to a stop on the floor.

Kuvira looked between them all with a furrowed brow. "Guys," she asked gently, slowly walking up to them, "what happened?"

All three of them looked at her, but only Anaya spoke up. "Takeo hit Park."

Kuvira looked at Takeo. She knelt down next to him and Park. "Takeo, why did you hit him?"

Takeo didn't look her in the eye, guiltily rubbing his wrist. "He was hogging the ball..."

Kuvira looked at Park. "Are you okay?"

The toddler nodded, his tears dwindling, though he still kept holding his cheek.

Kuvira looked back at Takeo, still gentle. "Tak...sometimes people don't give you what you want. Sometimes..." Her eyes widened for a second, realizing where she was channeling this advice from. "Sometimes _you_ have to be the nice one. There's always a better way to make everyone happy. Hurting people back for what they did to you is _not_ going to help anything. _Nothing_ good will ever come out of that."

She looked at Park with a small smile. "And it's not nice to keep things from people either. Everyone deserves to have the same things. Do you guys understand?"

They both nodded, their apprehension alleviating.

Kuvira smiled. "Good. Do you guys have anything you want to say?"

"Y-Yeah," Takeo said, taking his hand off his wrist and turning to Park. "I'm sorry I hit you."

Park took his hand off his cheek, bubbling, "I forgive you."

Kuvira smile grew bigger. She gently pulled her sons into a hug, and they hugged her back. "I'm so proud of you guys."

"Wait," Anaya said as she walked up. "You're not done with your paperwork yet, are you, Mama?"

Kuvira looked at her, then at the floor for a moment. She still had at least four more forms to fill out, and...

"...You know what?" Kuvira said with a smirk. "The paperwork can wait."

She picked the ball up, slapping it into her hand with a smile. "Me and Park versus you two! Come on, let's go!"

Cheers and giggles quickly followed.

* * *

 **Notes:** Okay, that ending make me _really_ happy. Hope you enjoyed as much as I did!

I feel like I need to stress again: Kuvira becoming the Earth Prime Minister was not my idea, at all. Her adopting kids was not my idea. The guy babysitting her kids? Not my idea, and you'll find out who he is next chapter if you don't already know.

Up next will probably be Kuvira taking her kids to Zaofu to visit the Beifongs :)


	2. Can't Forget The Past

_"M-Mama?" Anaya asked, a little shaken up. "W-Why was that man_ yelling _at you like that?"_

 _Kuvira gently closed the door behind her. She and Anaya had just been walking home from some shopping when a man recognized her. He...hadn't had the kindest words. "Oh...Sweetie, it's okay. You don't need to be worried. I..."_

 _Kuvira stopped. She looked down._

 _She'd waited long enough. They had to know._

 _"...Let's go get your brothers," Kuvira said, gently taking Anaya by her hand. "There's something I need to tell you guys."_

#

 _"What is it, Mom?" Takeo asked as he settled down in a chair, next to Anaya and Park._

 _"Yeah, what is it?"_

 _Kuvira took a deep breath as she sat, rubbing her thumb against the back of her hand. "Guys...I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but...I just never knew how to put it..."_

 _She_ still _didn't know how to put it._

 _She stopped rubbing her hand for a moment. "You know how I reunited the Earth Kingdom after the Red Lotus caused all that chaos?"_

 _"Yeah!" Anaya said with an eager nod. "You were the Great Uniter. You helped so many people!"_

 _Kuvira grimaced at hearing her daughter call her that, even though she was unknowing and innocent and not berating her like the man from earlier. "I...I_ did _help people, 'Naya, but I hurt a lot of people too. I...I hurt_ so many _people. I didn't want to, but I did it anyways. I had too much power when I was the Great Uniter, and I didn't know what to do with it. It made me think that what I thought was right was the only thing that mattered. But...I was wrong. I did things without thinking, and...I just hurt so many people..."_

 _She took another breath, rubbing her thumb over the back of her hand again. "The reason I became the Great Uniter was because...I was orphaned, like you guys were. My parents were cruel people. They kept beating me down, instead of trying to build me up. And one day, they...left me."_

 _"L-_ Left _you?" Takeo asked. "W-Why?"_

 _Kuvira closed her eyes. "I wasn't good at earthbending when I was a kid. They were tired of expecting things from me that I wasn't giving them. They thought I was weak, so they...they left me." Saying it out loud to her own children made it sound even worse._

 _"At first, I was scared and alone. They made me think that I really_ was _weak, until...Su found me. She took care of me. She helped me learn earthbending and built me up. She was like a mother to me. She let me live with her and the other Beifongs, and...I thought everything was going to be okay."_

 _She bit the inside of her cheek. "But, eventually, once I seemed like I was stable, that's...that's when she backed away from me. She thought I only needed to be taken cared of, not loved, but...she was the closest thing I_ had _to a mother back then. She still liked me, but she thought I could take care of myself. So that's what I did. When she didn't want to help the Earth Kingdom when it was going through hardships, after she didn't help_ me _properly when_ I _was going through hardships, I left Zaofu with Baatar and became the Great Uniter. I thought she was a coward, so I did what she didn't want to."_

 _Kuvira looked up at her kids. They all, even little Park, were sitting quietly, listening and understanding._

 _"After I completely reunited the Earth Kingdom, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted_ more _. I made myself think that I needed to conquer Zaofu too, but really, I was only doing it to get revenge on Su. But I didn't stop at Zaofu either. I made a super-weapon powered by spirit vines from the Swamp, and I used it to destroyed Republic City. They've been rebuilding it ever since. I..." She struggled to say what came next to her kids. "I almost killed myself with the weapon on accident, but...Korra saved me. She could've died too, but she stopped the blast. It made a new spirit portal, and it took us to the Spirit World."_

 _Kuvira swallowed. "I...I woke up in her arms. I asked her why she saved me. She said because...she saw herself in me. At first, I was confused, and scared. I thought she was going to start blaming me for everything I did, but instead, she was..._ nice _to me. She sat down with me. She understood why I did what I did. She helped me, helped me realize that what I was doing was wrong."_

 _Kuvira took a moment. "I surrendered. I apologized to Su and told everyone there that I could've never beaten Korra. I accepted the punishment the world thought I deserved. They sent me to prison. I was there for five years."_

 _"Five years?" Takeo asked hesitantly. "Th-that doesn't sound so bad."_

 _Kuvira almost laughed at how simple that made the entirety of her torturous sentence sound. "I was supposed to be there for_ thirty _. I had no idea I was going to get out sooner. King Wu let me go free after five because I helped him make the Earth Parliament and agreed to being the Prime Minister."_

 _Before she adopted him, Takeo had known that Kuvira was a war-prisoner released early, but he hadn't known_ why _exactly she was imprisoned in the first place. Now he did. And his eyes told the tale._

 _Kuvira bit her lip and squeezed her fists. She forced the words out of her throat. "Prison was horrible. It was_ awful _. I would've lost myself in that cell if it weren't for Korra. She didn't abandon me, like everyone else did. She visited me every week. Everyone wanted me to rot for what I had done, but she helped me change. She and Arnav gave me hope when there should've been none for me."_

 _"Wait," Anaya said. "Arnav? How did you know Arnav when you were in prison? W-Was he a prisoner too?"_

 _Kuvira shook her head. "No, Sweetie, he was one of the guards. The only one that talked with me, really." It came out all at once: their babysitter, a prison guard. How appropriate._

 _Kuvira took a shuddering breath. "I...I just needed you guys to know what I've done, why some people hate me. I feel like I've been trying to hide this from you guys, but...I just never knew how to tell you." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry..."_

 _"Mom," Takeo said gently, "it's okay. We understand. You're sorry for what you did. You'd never try to do anything like that again."_

 _Anaya nodded. "Yeah. And even if you did hurt the Earth Kingdom, you've been helping it by being the Prime Minister!"_

 _"It's okay, Mommy," Park bubbled. "We forgive you."_

 _Kuvira couldn't have hid her smile even if she had wanted to. How mature her kids were. She closed her eyes and bowed her head again. "Thank you, guys. Th-thank you for understanding. Thank you..._ so _much..."_

 _"Oh Mommy," Park said, getting off his chair to wrap his arms around his mother._

 _"M-Mama? You're crying..."_

#

"...Minister?"

"Prime Minister?" Councilman Yardun asked.

Kuvira blinked. She looked up from her notes. "Y-Yes?"

"Did you get the approval signed?" Yardun asked.

"O-Oh," Kuvira said, bringing herself back into focus. She turned a page and pulled out the document. "Yes. All the terms are beneficial, as we agreed to yesterday, correct?"

"Indeed," Councilman Torgen said with a nod. He raised a brow at Councilman Gerlun. "Unless _you_ have any more oppositions against it?"

Gerlun huffed in embarrassment, shaking his head and holding his hands out. "No, no. It was nothing like that. I'm just hesitant about opening up so many jobs to so many...hesitant, routinely people."

"Well," Artok chimed in, his hand on a page of statistics, "according to the surveys, the unemployment rate is as it is not because of any reluctantness from the people, but because there just isn't a wide enough variety of jobs out there. Clean-up and building covers _enough_ , granted, but there are a few more states that could use some medical and farming too. We have the hands and minds for it, so we might as well use them."

Gerlun nodded, rubbing his chin. "Yes, yes, I see..." After a moment of thought, he gave a concise tap against the table. "Alright. You have me convinced."

Kuvira and Artok exchanged a smile. She pulled out another document. "Wonderful. So, now about the listing forms..."

* * *

 **Notes:** Okay so that wasn't the trip to Zaofu. This was originally going to be the intro to that chapter, but it felt a little too long and out of place. I figured it was still important to show, Kuvira being honest with her kids about her past and all. I've hit a bit of a writer's block with the Zaofu chapter. If I can't make a whole big thing out of it, I'm still definitely gonna at least publish the ending scene with Kuvira and Suyin, the most important scene. I'll see what I can do.


	3. I'm Sorry

"Kuvira?" Suyin asked gingerly. "Can you...come with me for a moment? I want to show you something."

Kuvira raised a brow before following her. "Sure. What is it?"

As she walked into the Beifong's house with Su, Kuvira looked over her shoulder. All three of her kids were playing a game of catch with Wing, Wei, and Opal, with Huan, Baatar, and Baatar Senior all watching and laughing.

Kuvira couldn't help but smile.

Finally, she was in Zaofu with her kids. It'd taken a few days of planning, both on her part and on Parliament's part, but there they were. The councilmen had had their concerns, but none of them were for any political reasons. They'd seemed particularly eager to have Kuvira leave, asking questions like, "Just only _one_ day will be the extent of your trip?"

She'd raised a brow and answered, "It's not exactly an entire 'trip,' but yes, all I need is one day. I've been meaning to introduce my kids to the Beifongs for some time now. It would mean the world to them. All I need is a day to go to Zaofu, and then I'll be back by the next. I trust you can all handle whatever comes about in one day. There can't possibly be any major executive decisions within that time."

With almost disappointed nods, the councilmen had agreed: only one day for Kuvira to go to Zaofu and back with her kids.

Kuvira had to laugh to herself in her head. Did they _really_ think she needed an entire _vacation_? Wu and Artok's little backstage conspiracies were probably to thank for that. " _Tropical_ islands." Not that Kuvira wouldn't enjoy a vacation, but she just didn't really need one. The joy of coming home to her giggly adopted kids at the end of each day was vacation enough.

And getting home that day, kneeling down and finally getting to announce, "We're going to Zaofu!" had elicited just the most happy, excited cheer out of all three of them.

Speaking of excited, as Zaofu, grand and shining, appeared on the horizon outside the train windows, Anaya had squealed many delighted "ooh's" of admiration. "Mama!" she'd asked, kneeling on one of the train seats, looking out the window. "You really lived _there_? It's so pretty!"

Kuvira had to chuckle at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Yes, 'Naya, it _is_ pretty."

 _Pretty unbelievable how long you let yourself rot there, helpless, a pawn, never to wriggle free out from under Suyin's—_

Kuvira blinked and shook her head. She sighed. As easy as it was to forget them, the Great Uniter's abysmal thoughts and demons tended to surface from time to time, thankfully mostly in her sparse nightmares. They'd been becoming somewhat more frequent as of late...

Why?

Letters were fine, but meeting Baatar, Su, Opal, and all the other Beifongs in person just couldn't compare. After all the hugs, greetings and introductions were made. Kuvira's kids instantly attached to the Beifongs. Anaya went with Opal and Su, Takeo with Baatar Junior and Senior in hopes of getting to see all their projects, and with the twins in hopes of learning some earthbending tips (and possibly metalbending, in time), and, surprisingly, after Su and Baatar Junior held Park, so did Huan. Kuvira had to giggle at him, to which he lethargically rolled his eyes, as was his way. He'd actually selflessly offered to let Park use his personal art supplies to paint some pictures or something, to which the toddler eagerly agreed.

After Opal got her turn to hold Park, they, Takeo, and Anaya joined Wing and Wei for a tame but still wildly energetic game of catch. And now...

"I want to show you something."

Kuvira followed Su into one of the storage rooms of the Beifong's house, where Su had several opened boxes out. She picked something off of one of the tables.

She wiped it, reminiscing. "A few days ago, I...remembered something. I wanted to see if I could find it, and I did."

She handed it to Kuvira. She took it, and looked down at it.

It was a photo, a Beifong family photo, from several years back, black and white, grayed with age. Su and Baatar Senior, both still with brown hair, stood in the center kissing, with little baby Opal in his arms. Huan was compulsively fixing his hair, while Wing and Wei impulsively made inappropriate faces. Baatar Junior stood stiff in center with Su's hand on his shoulder, and standing next to him was...

Kuvira. Laughing.

Kuvira froze with that frame in her hands. She felt Su's hand on her arm, and soon a chair underneath her. She stared at the photo as she sat.

She... She was _in_ a Beifong family photo. She...recalled, in prison, countless times of herself imploring to Korra that she was never _truly_ one of the Beifongs, that she'd never been in any photos with them, that she was never part of their family, only just a foster child in their care until she was declared stable. But... _there_ she was, in a photo with them, happy.

Kuvira looked up at Su, her eyes desperate for explanation.

Su smiled warmly, putting her hand on Kuvira's. "You _were_ family to us. We loved you, we all did. You _were_ a Beifong. _My daughter_."

Oh those last two words. Kuvira looked back at the photo. "I...I _was_." She could hardly believe she was saying it.

Su looked down, regretfully rubbing her thumb against the back of her own hand. "Until I started pushing you away," she admitted.

Kuvira nodded solemnly. "And then I convinced Baatar to leave with me."

Su bit her lip for a moment. She sighed. "We should have given him more room. We shouldn't have kept him in his father's shadow."

"I shouldn't have left," Kuvira said. "I shouldn't have dragged him away from you. None of you deserved that."

Su blinked. She looked up at Kuvira. "Kuvira," she started with hesitation, "you... It wasn't _just_ you who made bad decisions. _I_ made you do what you did."

Kuvira blinked and looked up at Su with a furrowed brow. Five years of Korra's wisdom had engraven in her mind that she needed to accept responsibility for what she did, which she did, completely and honestly.

Unfortunately, she may have accepted _too much_ responsibility.

Kuvira shook her head. "S-Su, _no_. _I_ chose to set off and reunite the Earth Kingdom. _I_ chose to force states to join me. _I_ chose to attack Zaofu and Republic City! None of that would've happened if I'd just stopped myself and stepped down from power! So much would be different if I'd just—!"

Suyin threw her arms around Kuvira.

"I'm _sorry_ ," she sobbed into her adopted daughter's shoulder. "I'm _sorry_ I was never the mother you deserved. I'm _sorry_ you never had a real family. I'm _sorry_ I pushed you away. I'm _sorry_ I ever said I regretted taking you in. I'm... _I'm so sorry_..."

For a long while, Kuvira could only sit there in Su's arms, gently putting her own arms around her, trying to find words to say. She knew it shouldn't, but it felt...it...

It hit her. She was no longer the confused little girl crying herself dry in someone else's arms. No, _she_ was the one holding the confused crying girl now. Only difference was, she couldn't think of any comforting words. She could only listen to her adoptive mother's sobs, gently rubbing her back.

"I-I'm sorry," Su said once she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes as she collected herself. "I...I just should've faced up to this sooner. All the times I met with you, in and out of prison, and I never apologized."

Kuvira almost apologized too out of learned instinct, but stopped herself. "It's okay," she said instead. "I understand. I...think we both understood what we felt all those times."

Su sniffed, wiping her tears away. "Out of all the people that I thought deserved a second chance, I kept myself from thinking that _you_ could ever be one of them. _I_ got a second chance, I helped _Varrick_ get a second chance..." She looked up at Kuvira with a small smile. "But _you_ were the one that deserved a second chance the most, especially after what I did to you."

Kuvira nodded in understanding, wearing a small smile of her own.

Su looked down, her eyes almost starting to well again. "I'm so glad Korra saved you. I'm so glad she chose to stay with you and help you, and that she helped _me_ too, helped me understand what you and I did. Seeing you happy and healed, I...I just can't believe you're the same shy girl that I took in all those years ago, that I got to teach metalbending to, that I got to see become the captain of my guard."

Kuvira nodded with a little chuckle. "Me neither." She paused, then looked back up at Su. "Thank you. Thank you so much, for everything you did for me. No matter what we said, it helped shape who I am now." She paused again, and said, "I forgive you."

Su looked up at Kuvira, surprised. Her face softened, and she smiled. "Thank you."

And Kuvira smiled back.

They both looked down as Su sniffed the last of her tears away, both quiet for a small moment. Soon, both of them started to remember something too.

Su started to smile. "Do you remember your first day on the job as a guard?"

"Of course."

"You came into my room, asking about the patrols..."

Kuvira nodded. "I called you _Mom_..."

Su chuckled softly. "Yes. Yes, you did." She couldn't help but chuckle again. "You were so embarrassed then."

"I walked out of the room blushing," Kuvira muttered, still presently a tad embarrassed.

Su looked up at her. She smiled. "You're blushing _now_."

Kuvira instinctively moved a hand up to cover her pink cheek. But...embarrassment aside, she found herself smiling too. What was this feeling? Being embarrassed, but not minding it.

No, she knew this feeling. She'd learned what it was after the Beifongs had first taken her in, after they'd all effortlessly accepted her into their family.

"Hey, Mom!" Baatar's voice called from another room. "Kuvira! The kids are asking for you both to come play earth-soccer with them!"

"Uh-oh," Su said. She looked at Kuvira with a smile. "Should we go?"

Kuvira smiled too and nodded. "Yes, let's."

As they hurried outside together, Kuvira knew without a doubt, that even if she had stopped when she was the Great Uniter, she was a Beifong once, and now, she was again.

* * *

 **Notes:** _Golly_ I forgot how good of a mood writing about Kuvira puts me in. So yeah that was pretty monumental, Kuvira and Su finally knitting themselves back together again :)

I can't promise I'll be continuing this fic all that much, only if a little somethin' ever pops into my head. If you have any questions or suggestions you'd like to see, the simplest of anything, don't be afraid to throw something out there to keep this going. I'd be more than happy to add to this, anything to write about Kuvira.


	4. Just A Bad Dream

**Important Note:** All chapters moving forward are one-shots. They take place at no particular point in time relative to the three previous chapters. The time will be specified if necessary.

This one takes place _waaay_ before the other chapters, a little while after Kuvira first adopted Takeo, Anaya, and Park.

* * *

"M-Mama?" Anaya's voice whispered in the dark.

Kuvira slowly opened her eyes. She winced as she propped herself up in her bed, and looked over. Anaya was standing in the doorway. "H-Huh?" she asked with tender haziness. "What is it, Sweetie?"

Anaya hesitated, anxiously rubbing her wrist. "I-I'm scared..."

Kuvira's gentle expression softened. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Anaya nodded. "Mm-hm..."

Kuvira looked over at the other, empty side of her bed, then back at Anaya. "Would you like to sleep with me?"

"Y-Yeah," Anaya meekly said with a nod, "I would."

She walked over to her mother's bedside, climbing up next to her. Kuvira fluffed the blanket up over both of them, warmly tucking them in as they sat together. She gently put an arm around her adopted daughter, hugging her, rubbing her shoulder. "There. Better?"

Anaya nodded, falling into her with a soft sigh. "Yeah. Better."

Kuvira reassuringly rubbed her shoulder for a small moment. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"W-What?" Anaya asked, looking up at her, confused. "Why would I want to _talk_ about it?"

Kuvira shrugged, still hugging her. "Sometimes talking about the things that scare you can make them seem not so scary anymore. It was just a dream, 'Naya. Even though it feels like it, it's not going to hurt you."

Anaya looked down for a moment, letting Kuvira's words sink in. Reluctantly, she balled the edge of the blanket up in her little fists, fiddling with it. "There...was you, and me, and Tak, and Park. I don't know where we were, but...it was really high up. We were okay, but then...there was this big light, and we all started falling."

Kuvira's eyes widened in panic. She felt a twang in her chest.

Anaya squeezed the blanket tighter. "You all fell really fast, and I couldn't keep up with you. I...I lost you guys. I didn't know where you went. A-And then, there was another big light, and everything started falling apart, a- _and_ —"

 _The Colossus..._

Kuvira gasped hoarsely, uncontrollably. She threw the blanket off of herself, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, wrapping her arms around her ribcage.

"M-Mama?" Anaya asked, worried. "Mama?!"

Kuvira held her head with both hands, gasping.

 _Breathe, just breathe. Deep inhale, long exhale. Deep inhale, hold it in, long exhale._

"M-Mama?!"

 _It was six whole years ago. You survived. You're alive. It's never going to happen again. It's not going to hurt you. It's_ just _a bad dream—_

" _Mama_!" Anaya wailed.

"I'm fine, Sweetie," Kuvira came to herself saying decidedly, her breath somehow back under control. "It's okay. I'm fine."

She still sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, breathing in and out with a hand on her stomach, just to make sure. She finally turned, and looked behind her.

Anaya was kneeling on the bed, on the brink of tears, her jaw trembling.

Kuvira froze. Her heart dropped. How long had that panic attack _lasted_ for?

"A-Anaya," she said, putting her hands on her daughter's arms, trying to convince her, "I'm...I'm fine. I'm okay."

Anaya could only stare at her with teary eyes.

 _Are you? Are you_ really _?_

Kuvira looked her in the eye, trying to keep strong.

 _Yes, I_ am _. I'm..._

Her jaw soon began to tremble too.

Kuvira and Anaya sank into each other. Kuvira held the back of her daughter's head, listening to the concerned sobs being muffled against her chest. "It's okay, 'Naya, it's okay. It was just a panic attack. They happen sometimes. It's...normal for me. I'll be okay, really. I'm alright. I'll be _fine_."

Kuvira didn't get much more sleep that night. She spent the remaining wake of her conscious hours hugging her daughter, gently lulling her back to sleep.

* * *

 **Notes:** Hey, so, uh...Kuvira's first panic attack around her kids, huh? This was just a little thing that I thought of when I was having trouble sleeping. Figured it was topical. I just, yikes, this was rough. Just...think of Park doing his homework or something while he's sitting on Kuvira's back as she's doing push-ups, as she tries to get back into her old workout routine, trying to push herself in any little way she can :')


	5. Dozing Off

**Note:** Takes place at no particular point in time.

* * *

Kuvira giggled, a lot, really far more than what was warranted for this situation. But, that _was_ the kind of thing that always tended to happen to her whenever she stayed up late. And tonight was certainly no exception to that rule. "Come _on_ , guys. It's well past bedtime, for all of us."

"But we're not tired!" Anaya said. She and Takeo and Park were sprawled across their mother's lap on the couch, giggling like there was no tomorrow.

"Well _I am_ ," Kuvira said with a smile, despite trying her hardest to be serious. "When school starts up, we're all going to need to have an actual sleep schedule again."

"I don't need sleep!" Takeo insisted.

"Sleep is for the weak!" Park loudly joined in, unintentionally pressing his hand into his brother's face.

Kuvira couldn't help but chuckle at them as Takeo sputtered. "That's what I thought a long time ago too. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

"You didn't sleep at night?" Anaya asked, sitting up a bit more upright. "When _did_ you sleep?"

Kuvira's smile died down as she thought back. "There was...always so much I...so much I _thought_ I had to do. Baatar always insisted I slept, but I always did the opposite. If I did sleep, it was when I was almost passing out from exhaustion." She pursed her lip, trying to gauge an actual time for her daughter. "At night, usually."

"That doesn't sound healthy," Takeo noted.

"It wasn't."

"Well," Takeo said, he and Park straightening theirselves out like Anaya, "just once and a while can't hurt. Right?"

"I suppose," Kuvira answered with a nod. "But bad habits can develop quickly."

She looked over, out one of the windows. The sky was dark, if not darker than before. "Speaking of," she said, "it's _so_ late, guys. I don't think Korra's gonna make it tonight, not with any of us still awake."

All three of the kids let out "aww's" of disappointment.

"Ohh don't do that to me, guys," Kuvira chuckled sadly. "Come on, you'll get to see her in the morning. First thing."

"But you promised we'd get to see her _tonight_!" Anaya said.

"I know, Sweetie," Kuvira admitted. "And I'm sorry that I broke my promise. I'm sure Korra's sorry she's running late too. But," she said, perking up, "look at the bright side: she'll be staying a lot longer than she usually does. Two whole weeks instead of one! Does that make it any better?"

"I guess so," Takeo agreed, a little bummed but nodding. "We still wanted to say hi right when she got back though..."

"Not everything always happens how we'd like it to," Kuvira consoled, rubbing his head. "Life changes a lot, especially when we don't expect it." She started to yawn, stretching her arms out. "Oh, goodness. Look at what you're doing to me. We should _really_ be in bed now, guys. Come on. Korra would be."

"I dunno," Anaya joked with a smile. "I think she'd probably still be meditating or something."

"Ugh, you're right," Kuvira agreed, shaking her head at Korra's wantonness. "She's such a bad influence." Kuvira paused, starting to smirk. "Well...you know what happens to people who're bad influences?"

"What's that?" Takeo asked.

" _They_ get a visit...from the _tickle_ spirit!" Kuvira said, suddenly wrapping her arms around Anaya's middle, holding her tight as she squeezed and tickled her sides.

"AH!" Anaya squealed in surprise, immediately starting to laugh as she tried to wriggle free. "Oho noho! That _tickles_!"

"Uh-oh!" Takeo said with urgency, leaping off the couch. "Park, we gotta get out of here! C'mon!"

"Okay!" Park frantically agreed, scrambling and running to the hall that led to the kids' bedroom, both of them giggling in the excitement.

"No!" Anaya melodramatically cried out to her brothers through her giggles. "G- _Guys_! Dohon't _leave_ me!"

"Sorry, sis!" Takeo called back. "You're on your own!"

" _Nooo_!" Anaya wailed helplessly, giggling uncontrollably without reprieve.

Kuvira giggled along with her daughter as she held and tickled her. She finally stopped, deciding to show her a little mercy, only to give her one last surprise squeeze of her belly of course. After that final squeal from Anaya, Kuvira rubbed her daughter's shoulder as their giggles teetered off. "Ohhh my," Kuvira sighed. "I'm sorry, 'Naya."

"It's okay, Mama," Anaya said with a smile, laying in her lap. "You should be laughing just as much we do. And you're right: even if Korra wouldn't be sleeping, she'd still want us to be. You guys know what's best for us." She giggled. "Even if you don't always do it yourselves."

Anaya slid off of her mother's lap, her feet hitting the floor. "Well, c'mon!" she said with a smile, waving for Kuvira as she ran to the hall. "Let's go get _ready_ already!"

Kuvira couldn't help but smile at her daughter's boundless pep, getting off the couch and following after her. "Right behind you, Sweetie."

#

All three of the kids brushed their teeth and got into their pajamas, warm and snuggly and ready for bed. As Anaya and Takeo collected their blankets from earlier-that-day's pillow fort, Park was holding onto one of Kuvira's iron armbands. She slowly metalbended it upwards, the toddler hanging off of it like a little hog-monkey. His idea. Despite doing it for both their joy's, Kuvira was careful to keep it over his bed in case he fell, and to not make it float too high in the first place. He was the most rambunctious right before he went to bed, so the little extra activity tended to wear him out a bit more.

Eventually, he let go of the armband and plopped onto his bed, still giggling, as was Kuvira.

"I promise," she said to all the kids as she started tucking him in, "I'll wake you all up before I start making breakfast, so you can have as much time with Korra as possible."

"Pinky promise?" Park asked innocently, holding out his pinky.

Kuvira chuckled. "Pinky promise," she agreed with a smile, tightly returning his gesture. She leaned forward, gently kissing him on his forehead. "Goodnight, Park."

"Goodnight, Mommy," he tiredly murmured, rolling over.

Kuvira got up, and walked over to Anaya's bed, already tucked in by herself. Kuvira brushed her daughter's bangs away, kissing her forehead too. "Goodnight, 'Naya."

Anaya smiled with closed eyes at her mother's kiss. "'Night, Mama."

Kuvira smiled, and turned to Takeo's bed, him almost asleep already. "Goodnight, Tak," she chuckled softly, brushing away his thick head of hair to kiss him.

"G'night, Mom," he mumbled, definitely dozing off.

With all the kids snuggled up and cozy in their beds, Kuvira walked to the doorway. She turned off the lights for them, the muted light from the hall still flowing in just enough for Park. She turned and looked her kids, one last time. _Her_ kids. Her very own children. She couldn't help but smile.

Three precious little treasures, the only things she could think of as she walked out of their room. They were more than she deserved, the only things she needed to know she had before she went to bed herself.

#

Kuvira sat on the couch in the living room. She tapped a pen against her lips as she skimmed over her charts. The lights of the living room were off, and so she worked in the dark. Attempted to, at least. She sighed, aggravated, running a hand through her hair.

 _Spirits, this should_ not _be this complicated..._

"Mom?" Takeo asked quietly.

Kuvira startled. She dropped her papers to her lap, looking towards the hallway. Takeo stood there, holding a sleeve-covered fist up to his chin.

"Oh," Kuvira breathed, keeping her voice soft as well. "Tak, what are you still doing up?"

He lowered his head a bit. "I was gonna ask you that too..."

Kuvira glanced at her papers. "Working helps me get to sleep easier."

"I thought it stressed you out?"

"Not always. Well..." She sighed, sitting back and looking downward as she admitted, "Yes, it can be stressful. But I can't get to sleep anyways, so I might as well be doing _something_."

Takeo hesitated, unsure, scuffing his foot against the floor. "Can I...sit with you, for a little?"

A billion motherly thoughts flashed through Kuvira's mind, but that didn't stop her from automatically saying, "Of course."

Takeo nodded, and trudged over to the couch. He groggily crawled up next to his mother, getting comfy as he snuggled into her and she into him.

He rested his head against her shoulder, his eyes falling on her papers for a moment. "Are you really super busy?" he asked. "Or can I ask what you're working on?"

Kuvra sighed. "I'm just...trying to balance some budgets. The Tao region needs money for it's irrigation developments, but Lijiang needs some too for its infrastructure revamping."

"Oh," Takeo said with a squint, trying to focus on the page full of statistics, even if he couldn't really understand it all. "So they both need a lotta money..."

"Yes," Kuvira answered with a nod. "One of them needs all of it. Neither's going to benefit from only half. I'm tempted to give the loan to Tao, because, well...food _is_ a bit more important than a stable house. But Lijiang's been _so_ dilapidated for so long, I..."

Takeo glanced down, pursing his lip as he thought. "Are you...sure you don't got any spare money?"

Kuvira chuckled. "Unless I start sending donations from _our_ own little salary, no. Parliament's agreed five-thousand yuans is all we can use."

Takeo giggled too. "I kinda want to keep our money." He looked at his mother's papers again. He furrowed his brow, noticing a certain region's name. " _Chin_...Chin's a good region."

Kuvira looked at where he was pointing. She raised a brow. "Y...Yes, Chin's always been a very stable region. Chin the Conquerer's conquests are partly to thank for some of that, unfortunately."

"No," Takeo said with quiet excitement, nudging her. "Chin's good because I know they make a lot of money!"

Kuvira blinked with a furrowed brow, still lost. "They're...one of the highest traders in the Earth Kingdom..."

"Well," Takeo said, yawning and stretching, "if they do so good by themselves...why can't they just...give some of their money to Lijiang? And you keep the money you already got for Tao?"

Whether it was from the lack of sleep muddying her mind, or if she had been just focusing on the wrong problem, it hit Kuvira then like a clap of thunder. Indeed, Chin had always been doing decent by itself without much aid, and with a loan for Tao secure, at least _starting_ to work on Lijiang was a step in the right direction. It would take a little mitigating with some governors to actually make it happen, but a small loan couldn't be too far a stretch, could it? It was worth a shot. Everyone would get a little hope that way.

"That...might work," Kuvira said. "Very well, actually." She paused, surprised, and looked down at Takeo. "Thank you."

He yawned again and rubbed his eyes, practically fallen back asleep already as he nuzzled into his mother. "You're welcome, Mom..."

A little while later into the night, the front door to the house was slowly opened, by Korra. She quietly closed it behind her, tip-toeing into the living room, not wanting to make any noise. She knew how late she was and she hated it. Well, "bright" side: she wouldn't have to apologize until morning.

Who was she kidding. It was going to suck either way.

She looked over, and suddenly froze with internal panic, seeing Kuvira and Takeo sitting on the couch together. But, she relaxed, noticing that they both had their heads slumped onto each other, both of them asleep. Kuvira had some papers strewn on her lap. Korra could only smile. The workaholic as ever.

She fetched a spare blanket, and gently draped it over the two on the couch. She didn't wake either of them up to have them move to their actual beds. Best not to disturb them. And besides, she was fine sleeping alone, again. Not that it was a problem or anything.

The fact that Kuvira was sleeping at all was worth it.

* * *

 **Notes:** I find that fluff is written best while drowsy. 'Bout time I write some actual _fluff_ here that isn't super crazy emotional. Some chapter shifting may be in order as well. I'm thinking making it a little Book 5 trilogy prelude thingy first, any snippets, ideas, or one-shots after.

Anyways I am BACK, kinda, not really. I don't have like a schedule of future chapters or anything like that, just insomnia. I'd love to write more though! Suggestions and questions for future chapters are greatly appreciated and considered to keep this going! Actually as of writing this, Kuvira teaching Anaya how to dance sounds like it could be a really cute chapter. Possibly coming up?

Also, I think I'm keeping the majority of any possibly future chapters geared more toward Kuvira being with Korra, not with Baatar. He and Kuvira are so adorable and reserved together, but some wife-on-wife action is well overdue since I never really showed much during this before or in Book 5 (cLEAN, emotionally-supportive wife-on-wife action!). Despite wanting to make this change, I accidentally ended up coming up with a little Baatar and Kuvira scene (curse my brain), pre-Great Uniter, something cute and humanizing. I don't see why I can't explore both once and a while. Best of both worlds I guess. Not sure if that would get a whole chapter or just a flashback in a bigger chapter, if I even make a "bigger" chapter.

Feedback is greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed :)


	6. Sun, Sand, Sass

"I can't believe you talked me into this..." Kuvira muttered.

"I can't believe you _wouldn't_ want to do this!" Korra retorted.

The two of them sat together in the backseat of Asami's roofless satomobile, being driven by Future Industries' CEO herself, a breeze flowing through all their hair, the sun warmly shining down on them.

"It'll be _great_!" Asami happily assured over her shoulder, and _spirits_ was she happy. She was massively looking forward to today. She even broke out her old bathing suit for this occasion: her dark grey tube-top and mini-skirt. "It's not like the _best_ beach in the United Republic or anything, but it's still beautiful, plenty of sand. Water's usually warm too. Most people don't come around 'til evening to see the sunset, so that's a plus."

Kuvira made a little "mmf" noise of consideration. She was wearing a slightly more reserved plain dark green one-piece suit, had a towel tied around her waist, and also wore her hair in that braid style she'd had since she was eight. Simple, honest, not flashy, not revealing. Her kind of style. _Korra_ on the other hand was wearing some sort of two-piece getup made from tightly woven white wraps, with a short drape hanging from the front her waist. Typical for Water Tribe women? Kuvira could only wonder. It seemed more " _impoverished traveler_ " than "a day at the beach." Surely Asami had at least _one_ extra suit to spare? Those two were about the same size, so it would've worked. Kuvira could've sworn Korra was a bit self-conscious of herself too last she'd heard...not that Korra had much to be apprehensive about.

"Got something against beaches?" the Avatar-in-question asked. "Or've you just never been to one before? I mean, you _were_ a central Earth Kingdom citizen and all, so I wouldn't be surprised."

Kuvira snorted indignantly and looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Of course I've been to beaches." She found her eyes falling, admitting, "A few times, at least... Su and Baatar liked to take us all to a few small lake spots near Zaofu when we were younger. They weren't anything extravagant, or as big as Republic City's I assume, but...they were nice. We had fun. They were good times." She smirked. "I know how to swim too, if that was a concern."

Asami giggled. "Well that's good. Wouldn't want Korra to have to do any _Avatar duty_ while on break."

Korra giggled too. "Yeah, Kuvira would rather drown than I get all 'lifeguard' for her." She barked a laugh again, slapping a hand over her mouth. "No, no! If something went wrong you'd probably just _refuse_ to drown until a boat came by and dragged you back to shore!"

"Oh my goodness, Korra," Kuvira managed to chuckle out, Asami laughing out loud from the front seat as well.

"Ohhh geez," the CEO sighed. "Really, Kuvira, don't worry about a thing. Today's gonna be _great_ , I promise. You deserve this after all you've gotten done lately."

"Yeah!" Korra agreed. "You and Parliament have been going crazy with all those laws and stuff! I haven't seen you unwind in a while either. You could use this."

"It was _only_ a few regulations," Kuvira clarified, "and I'm just a worker at heart is all. I know when I need breaks, and I can make sure to take them."

Korra raised a brow with a smirk. "Really?"

Kuvira looked at her with a squint. "Really."

Korra couldn't maintain that eye contact without her mouth trembling into a grin. She looked away with another laugh. "Okay, okay, I believe you! Just stop looking at me!" She sighed with a smirk. "Ohhh gosh. Honestly, I thin k that's why you and Baatar worked so well together. You're so bold and he's uh...not," she said lightlywith a giggle. "Always your little anchor to make sure you slow down."

Kuvira blushed and smiled at Korra's outrospection. "Yes, very." Thanks to her, Kuvira had just been reminded that Baatar was actually babysitting the kids with the Beifongs at Zaofu as they spoke, _without_ her. She wasn't worrying about them...exactly, but being away from them certainly did feel a little...empty. Korra had just been pushing for a "girls' night out" ordeal for weeks, and Kuvira finally agreed to spend a good several days in Republic City. Although so far, "ordeal" had truly been the most accurate way to describe their festivities, no small thanks to the Avatar's usual cheekiness. Ever the spitfire, Asami and Kuvira had to combine their efforts to reign her in more than once already. Who knew what shenanigans she'd incite next?

"Can we bury you in the sand?" Korra asked.

Kuvira couldn't help but chuckle. "Please no. I don't trust you enough to _just_ bury me."

"You can bury me first if you want!" Korra insisted.

"Careful what you wish for, Korra," Asami joked over her shoulder. "She might just leave you there."

"Excellent idea, Asami," Kuvira joined in with a smirk. "Might be able to enjoy this day in _peace_."

"Ohh come on, guys," Korra giggled in jest. "I haven't buried someone in...ever? Well, Meelo that one time, but he's a kid! There's, like, no body mass to work with there! I grew up in snow, FYI! Beaches are _awesome_ to me! Cut me some slack! I'm like a baby here!"

Kuvira smiled. "Well, you're right about one thing at least."

"I know!" Korra exclaimed. "It only took like two buckets to cover him up all the way!"

Asami drove the three of them around the last bend of the suburban roads leading to the beach, revealing a beautiful vista of Republic City's bay cupping the mainland. A few docks and piers peppered the shore further along the way for fishing and recreation both. Kuvira was quite astonished by the view, but it was Korra that actually breathed out a little "wow" of excitement. Truly, Kuvira didn't recall seeing such a nice, open, natural space when she attacked with the Earth Empire all those few years ago. Now look at it. It was...beautiful. It gave her a little contentment knowing some good came out of all the destruction.

As expected, waiting on the edge of the grass and sand were Mako and Bolin, along with the three eldest of Tenzin and Pema's kids, all of them wearing swimsuits of their own. Kuvira found herself quite pleased to see them all there, happy and ready for the day ahead of them. She even started to feel a little vicarious giddiness well up inside of her too, her early reluctantness almost nonexistent now.

For a moment, just a moment, she considered telling Korra that she _might_ let herself be buried in the sand.

Asami parked the car in the near-empty parking lot and turned off the engine. Korra jumped out over her door to get their necessities from the trunk, while Kuvira and Asami opted to actually use their doors, each carrying shoulder-strap bags. They both looked up as Bolin and Mako and the kids all ran to them.

"Finally!" Bolin said as they got close. "You guys got here!"

"I _would've_ gone as fast as I could without speeding," Asami said with a smile, dropping her keys into her purse, "but we were, y'know, talking like friends tend to do."

"Pfff," Bolin jokingly dismissed. " _Talking_. Who needs talking when we're gonna be playin' on the BEACH all day?!"

Ikki hopped up and down, stoked for today. "Yaaay! It's so cool that you got to come, Kuvira! It's like Harmonic Convergence wanted our schedules to line up so you could come here!"

Kuvira found herself surprised that she was so welcome. "Thank you, Ikki," she politely returned with a giggle and a smile. "I'm glad I could make it here too."

Mako walked up, the calmest out of the bunch as usual, but still had a big ol' smile on his face. Not even _he_ could stay cynical at the beach. "Sorry this was a little impromptu, Kuvira," he said. "We usually plan out this kind of thing a little bit better." He pointed his thumb at Korra as she worked. "If you want someone to blame, Korra was in charge this time."

"Yes, this was _very_ impromptu," Kuvira mused, glancing at said Avatar, who paused her unpacking to flash that grin of hers. "But, I didn't expect to be relaxing coming here. I can make the most of it."

Korra handed a bag over to Bolin and giggled. "Jeez, make it sound like you hate being around us."

Kuvira tried to look at Korra with a fake angry face, but it was _her_ turn to fail at smothering a smile while trying to look serious. She giggled gently. "I could never."

"It really is nice that you got to come, Kuvira," Jinora said, pretty excited for her usual shyer self. "Today's gonna be _so_ much fun. There's almost no other people here. We pretty much have the whole beach to ourselves!"

"Really?" Kuvira asked as she raised a brow in surprise. She looked up to scan the shore. Indeed, she only saw two families, tops. And they both were a far way down the shore as well. "Oh," she said. "That's a bit of a relief."

Asami quietly gasped with realization. "Oh no. Kuvira, you...weren't so worried earlier because you were scared of being recognized or anything, were you?"

"I've learned to brace myself for any recognition," Kuvira answered, inwardly grateful for her concern, "be it positive or negative."

"It's the autographs, isn't it?" Mako asked with a smirk.

Kuvira returned his smirk. "As it turns out, _hugs_ are actually the norm for me in terms of PR."

"You're kidding," Asami said with a smile.

"I'm not sure I wish I _was_ ," Kuvira giggled.

"You mean just like with fans and stuff?" Bolin asked, rubbing his head with a smile.

"Mostly, yes. I've actually gotten a councilman or two to hug in front of some reporters."

"Hah!" Bolin laughed with a clap of his hands. "Like _that's_ the big secret ploy all those people out there are claiming you're still up too! Making each and every councilman hug on camera! The ultimate blackmail to bring back the Empire!"

Kuvira actually laughed aloud at the thought as well. "It's not like my _mission_ or anything, but it's nice when I can make it happen."

" _Kuvira Beifong_ ," Mako said to himself with a smirk. "The Earth Kingdom's _Huggiest_ Prime Minister."

"If they don't ask, I offer!" Kuvira explained with gentle conviction. "They might be too shy to ask themselves, even if they really need it!"

"It's true!" Korra chirped, popping her head out from behind the trunk like a Si Wong prairie dog. "You wouldn't _believe_ how many peoples' days she makes just by talking with them for a little bit!"

"Out of the few executive duties I'm permitted as Prime Minister," Kuvira said to herself while shaking her head, "hugging really _is_ my most prevalent."

Korra "squee'd" from behind the trunk. "It's _still adorable_!"

Kuvira rolled her eyes and smiled, admitting, "Whenever it happens, it _is_ usually the highlight of my day as well."

"It's like the best thing you can do for your image honestly," Asami said. "It really does throw off all the people claiming you're still gonna 'usurp power' again." She frowned for a moment. "Speaking of...do the people that look up to you outweigh the ones that...still don't know the real you?"

Kuvira looked down in thought for a moment. She adjusted the shoulder-strap of her bag. "Thankfully, the only good thing about contempt is that it doesn't like to admit itself in public."

"I guess that's the least you can ask for," Mako said.

Bolin set the last cooler down on the ground and rubbed his hands together with an audible slap. "Alll-right! Operation: Sun and Fun is a _go_!"

Kuvira blinked in surprise. " _Sun and Fun_?"

Mako laughed. "I was gonna question 'operation.' "

"You've been hanging around General Iroh too much," Korra told Bolin.

He just smiled as he shrugged with his hands on his hips. "What can I say? I like the cut of that man's jib. He's got _gumption_."

" _Please_ tell him all of that next time you see him," Asami said, picking up one of the bags.

"Are we gonna do this or what!" Meelo asked as he held a ball, clearly excited and ready to go. "I'll play catch with _myself_ if I have to!"

"We're goin', Meelo, we're goin'," Mako said with a smirk, picking up one of the coolers. He turned. "Alright, guys! It's still morning, and we got all day and a beach to use! We gonna do this or what?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Bolin said with a wave. "Enough chatter! Let's go tackle this beach already!"

The kids all cheered, and made a beeline to the sand with the intrepid lavabender. Mako and Asami and Kuvira all followed after them a bit more casually, while Korra slapped her forehead and went back to the car to grab one last bag she forgot in the trunk.

As the kids started up a game of catch, Bolin went "ooh!" and led Asami over with Mako to a nearby dock to show her something they'd found earlier. Kuvira still stood on the grass as she watched them, and looked around to gauge their surroundings a bit more. It really was only the two families, who were too far away to make out faces, and they didn't appear to be moving any closer any time soon. A small relief. Kuvira sighed, and finally stepped into the sand.

Its warmth quickly enveloped her toes, prompting her to stop and look down at her feet. The soft tan blanket of powdered earth almost seemed...inviting, in a way. She felt compelled to scrunch her toes, and did so, gently digging into the sand underneath. She felt the urge to _giggle_. Spirits, what was she? A child? Should such a simple thing be so...elating? Had she really been _that_ busy lately to find sand this...delightfully escapist?

"It's the best, isn't it?" Korra asked from behind, walking up with her last bag slung over her shoulder.

"W-What?" Kuvira asked with a bit of a startle, feeling silly and exposed.

"The sand," Korra said with a gesture of her head and a smile, "the sky, the sun, the water... It's like all four of the elements rolled into one awesome view." She kicked the sand, it scattering and settling again. "I never feel so _warm_ like this, at least not back at the South Pole."

Kuvira chuckled. "I feel you on that one. I...almost want to say it's breathtaking here..."

Korra looked at Kuvira as she looked around, and found herself smirking a bit. Seeing her content...made _her_ content, in a way. "So are you hoping to get some exercise while we're here? Or a tan?"

Kuvira scoffed with a smile. "Please, don't mock me. I haven't been able to get anything close to a tan since birth. I just _burn_." She smirked. "I believe that's the _one_ regard in which you'll always have me bested, other than strict hand-to-hand combat."

"I'm just the more-tan version of you that can throw a punch better," Korra said with a grin and her hands on her hips. "Sweet."

Kuvira smiled at their conversation, and looked over at the kids. They were currently bickering about where they should set up a net. "Kuai Ball sounds nice, I'll admit," Kuvira said. "I don't do very many taxing sports with the kids on any regular basis, so I'd love to give that a shot at least."

"Oh we're gonna do Kuai and more," Korra said with eagerness, dropping her bag and rubbing her hands together with clasp. "I'm gonna go _ice-rafting_ , Mako's gonna try firebending sand into _glass_ , Bolin's gonna throw _lava-rocks_ into the bay and make a bunch of _steam_... It's gonna be _sweet_!"

"Actually," Kuvira said, turning to carry her bag over to the umbrella Mako and Bolin had set up while they were waiting, "I think I'm going to pace myself a bit. I've been meaning to finish this book for a week now and should really get it over with already. I'll blaze through the rest of it as fast as I can so I don't disappoint you guys."

"Oh no, no!" Korra insisted. "You can take your time! Asami's probably just gonna chill for a while first too! We got all day ahead of us. No need to rush anything."

"Alright," Kuvira said with a nod, setting her bag down. As Korra picked the bag she'd dropped back up again, Kuvira took a seat on one of the towels under the umbrella. She smiled at two two-feet-tall sand mounds at the head of the towels, forming makeshift recliner chairs, assumably made by Bolin and Mako for her and Asami to have some lower back support while they relaxed. How thoughtful.

Kuvira sighed as she sat down and laid back, stretching her arms and legs out a bit. Oh, was this relaxing. Mako and Bolin had picked a great spot for the umbrella too, practically gifting Kuvira with a panorama of the entire coastline. After admiring it for a moment, she pulled her book out of her bag, opening it to the bookmark by muscle memory. Only three chapters left, and it was a history book too. She'd have this done within the hour.

Korra set her bag down next to the umbrella, now holding a bottle of sunscreen that the kids "forgot" to bring. "I'll say it again," she reiterated as she stood up, Kuvira looking up from her book as well, "you don't have get crazy like us, you can even just relax all day if you want to, but by the end of today... _someone_ is ending up buried in sand! It's my only goal for today!"

Kuvira smiled. "That sounds like a job for Bolin!"

"He's the resident earthbender!" Korra yelled as she ran away. "He's gonna pile it all on!"

"You can earthbend too last I checked!"

"Sorry! Can't hear you! Having fun!"

Kuvira watched as Korra ran up to the kids waving the bottle over her head, and started giggling as she jokingly demanded they apply some sunscreen like Pema had specifically asked them to. The kids all yelled and scattered like startled lemurs, and Meelo expertly air-cartwheeled himself over Korra, snatching the sunscreen from her hand. He started tossing the bottle to his sisters, prompting Korra to gasp in dismay and bark things like, "As Avatar I command you to you protect your skin in the name of balance!" It was like they were playing some sort of wild game of Hog-Monkey in the Middle. Mako and Bolin and Asami all laughed at the spectacle as well.

"Hey, Kuvira!" Mako called to her. "To think this was your greatest threat at one point, huh!"

Kuvira couldn't help but grin, calling back, "She's just as I remember her!"

"Determined?!" Korra frantically suggested.

"That's a good way of putting it!"

An exhausted fake laugh from Korra followed.

Eventually, finally, the kids relented their game, and let Korra put some sunscreen on them (their noses and ears were apparently their greatest areas of concern according to Pema) and began deciding what they should try first. Meelo suggested a Kuai Ball tournament between "New Team Avatar" and "Avatar Aang's grandkids," and with that, they all knew exactly what they wanted to do.

Kuvira kept reading her book, occasionally looking up at the others to see what they were doing, giggling at their antics. Though admittedly, after only a few pages, she found herself frowning. Something felt...odd.

She looked at the sand for a moment, the warm tan blanket that it was, then at the bright blue sky, the sun shining brightly. Everything _looked_ like it should've been perfect. She looked at Korra and the others, who were setting up the net for Kuai Ball. Even Asami was helping raise the poles.

Kuvira pursed her lip to the side. She looked down at her book, the piles of information contained within seeming so...ineffectual on what was happening around her. And that's when she realized.

What did she know? Dion of the South-West wasn't going anywhere. Everyone was on the beach _right now_.

With her mind made, Kuvira closed her book with a thud, and set it down on her towel. She got up, and started running to everyone with a smile on her face.

"Got room for one more player?!"

"Haha, _yeah_!"

* * *

 **NOTES:** Ahhhh, beaches X)

I RETURN. And this chapter was rightfully bigger than the other fluffs I've done so far, though I admit it does really feel like it's leaving off for an even bigger chapter. It's just that a minute-by-minute telling of the gang's entire day at the beach might've been kinda boring and time-consuming. Who am I kidding, it'd probably be wonderful. Also as probably visible, I'm starting to toy with some kidless one-shots: just Kuvira and Korra, them with Asami, stuff like that. (Oh my gosh, should this be the beginning of some Korra/Asami/Kuvira roommate shenanigans?!) Just trying to explore some other facets of Kuvira's life, even though her adopting kids would probably mean the world to her. She just has so much to offer.

Personal status update: bonkers exhausted as usual, and a little mini-vacation with family didn't help much, though it did spark this chapter. I'm gonna be completely honest here and say I've actually had this chapter idea on the backburner for a looong while now. I've just been dealing with uh "chronic fatigue" (you'd think writing would be a good hobby to have while you're tired lol), having anxiety attacks for the first time in forever, and formulating too many ideas at once like a fool. I really need to learn to stop and focus on one idea and just get it out so I have an at least SLIGHTLY consistent output. Personal goals and all that.

Next order of business: I'm gonna finish another Overwatch thing, definitely, absolutely, then another Kuvira chapter. Get a pattern going. Little preview: the Kuvira chapter is gonna be centered around her dancing! Finally X) It'll also include an ample flashback from the happier half of her past, focus on her teaching Anaya, and Korra will be there for a bit too :)


	7. Some Pep in Her Step

"Hey, Mama," Anaya asked with a smile, crossing her arms atop the armrest of Kuvira's chair as she worked through some papers. "You used to dance, right?"

Kuvira adjusted her reading glasses and looked down at her daughter, sharing her smile "Why yes, I did. Su taught me personally."

"Were you good at it?"

"Well, since Su taught me, I suppose so. I was in her troupe, almost always her partner. She and everyone else always complimented me." The memories were still very close despite their distance from now, and so very warm...

#

 _Years Ago..._

Suyin clapped her hands.

"Alright, everyone!" she announced to the dance hall. "That's a wrap! You did great work today, all of you! Just a practice or two and we'll be more than ready for the big day! Rest up now! You deserve it!"

As the other dancers gave a short cheer and began conversing with each other, doing cooldown stretches and packing up, Kuvira was undoing her arm-wraps near the side of the room, her effects resting on a bench, not wanting to be in anyone's way.

"Hey, Kuvira!" Saiya called.

Kuvira looked up at the wall in front of her, and smiled. Even when she thought she was being discrete, she still found herself getting roped back into the middle of things. "Yes?" she said as she turned around.

Saiya smirked with a hand on her hip, Kuvira's dance partner when Su was taken, her current partner for the routine they were working on as of late. Like Su, she was taller than Kuvira, and had a short bob-cut style of hair as opposed to the captain's long braid and wispy bangs.

"You doin' alright?" she asked in that congenial way of hers as she walked up. "You looked a little nervous or somethin' at the end there."

"What?" Kuvira asked. "Nervous? No, not at all. I was just focusing."

"Ah, I figured," Saiya said, still smiling. "Hey, just remember: that last pose is all about symmetry. We don't have to be completely perfect, but just throwing in a little smirk or somethin' wouldn't hurt, y'know, to match me. ' _We're the mirror seen within the lotus_ ' and all that."

"I know," Kuvira said with a nod. "I just want to make sure my posing is as perfect as possible first." She dropped her right hand-wrap onto the bench with a muffled flop. "Once I have _that_ , _then_ I'll smile. We _are_ still in the rehearsal phase after all."

Saiya smiled and shook her head. She knew of Kuvira's professionalism. She was nigh unstoppable when she wanted to get a job done. Saiya pursed her lip, her brow furrowed in thought. "That reminds me, uh... Has guard duty been tough on you lately, or—?"

"Don't even talk about that!" Kuvira hushly blurted, embarrassed. "I didn't want my picture in the paper!"

Saiya laughed as she defensively held her hands up. "Why not? No one's been promoted to Captain as fast as you since Zaofu was founded! You're a beast! The guards haven't been this well-kept or motivated since Dernau retired!"

"I hate pictures!" Kuvira fussed, looking away. "I never know what to do! I...I get embarrassed! Feel awkward."

"You look fine in it!" Saiya insisted. "Last I checked, at least. What's wrong with a little recognition?"

"My actions should be note-worthy enough," Kuvira said with a shake of her head, tugging off her other hand-wrap. "They don't need a face attached to them."

"The Zaofuians just like knowing they have someone qualified and capable protecting them," Saiya convinced, putting a friendly hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "And so do I. Honestly, I think smiling would help you in pictures, get rid of that angry little resting-face of yours."

Kuvira paused. She looked up at Saiya and blinked once, brow creased and voice monotone, almost questioning. "I don't have an angry resting-face."

" _Surrre_ you don't," Saiya agreed with a smirk, holding her hands up again.

"Hey, Saiya!" Tang called. "Kuvira!"

Kuvira and Saiya both looked up at hearing their names, turning to see Tang as he walked up with Yolun. Kuvira couldn't help but smile as they approached, and they hadn't even said anything yet. Spirits, they were the goofballs of the troupe without a doubt, notorious during rehearsal, always joking around as often as they could...without annoying Su _too_ much.

"You guys did great at the end there!" Tang said, lean with dark scruffy hair. "Su really couldn't have picked a better pair for that pose."

"That better not be brown-nosing I hear, Tang," Su jokingly said as she walked past, quietly smiling at Kuvira and Saiya who both returned the gesture.

"Oh! Never, Mrs. Beifong!" Tang returned over his shoulder.

Su scoffed. "I _told_ you all to just call me 'Su!' _Mrs. Beifong_ makes me feel...old!"

"Apologies, Mrs. Su! Won't happen again!"

"Ugh," Su said with a smiling shake of her head, walking away. "Just don't be late to practice next time."

"Can do!"

Yolun chuckled as they turned back to the girls, taller and tanner and stocky than Tang, also sporting a goatee. "For real, you two, if you can nail that pose the day of the recital, we're gonna floor everyone!"

"Don't try to make us nervous or anything," Saiya teased with a smirk.

"Oh, no!" Yolun gingerly amended, a total softie despite his looks. "I didn't mean it like that! There's no way you could mess it up!"

Kuvira giggled. "Don't worry, Yolun, we're confident in what we can do," she said, trading a smirk with Saiya.

"Well now that's just conceded," Tang joked.

"No it's _confidence_ ," Kuvira corrected.

Tang chuckled. "Eh, tomato, tomahto. Seriously, you guys, we've got this in the bag. I haven't felt this good 'bout a performance since before Janen broke his leg."

"Oh, same here," Saiya said, fervently touching her chest at his mention. "He's almost healed up, right?"

"He's been walking and should be able to dance again within another week," Kuvira affirmed with a nod. "Just wait until you see his welcome-back song Su picked out. It's so wonderful. He's going to love it."

"Wait," Tang asked with a furrowed brow, "how do you know what the next song is?"

Kuvira shrugged while coyly looking away. "Su might've let me have a little preview."

"Of course she did," he said with a grin.

Kuvira rolled her eyes, smirking as well. "I'm not sure why you're surprised at this point. I already have the routine for it down-pat."

"What?!" Yolun exclaimed as Saiya gasped. "Really?!"

Kuvira giggled, nodding. "Yes. The Dragon Sonnet. It incorporates some ancient firebending forms. Expect some wire work too. It's pretty intense."

"Wow..." Yolun said with a smile, calming down from his surprise. "Jeez, Kuvira."

Tang smirked, glowing with respect as he turned to leave. "Classic Kuvira. Always one step ahead of everybody."

#

"Can... Can you teach me?" Anaya asked.

Kuvira looked up from her book with widened eyes.

 _No, it...it couldn't be._

"W-What?" she asked, looking at her daughter in disbelief. "Anaya, you...you want to start learning how to dance?"

"Yeah!" Anaya said with excitement. "Some actual professional moves and stuff! It sounds fun! I wanna try it, like you did!"

Kuvira found herself internally erupting with a whole host of emotions, trying not to burst into a grin. "Would...you like to start learning today?"

Anaya pursed her lip and glanced away. "Well...you aren't super busy, are you?"

"I have _all_ the time in the world," Kuvira said dearly, setting her book and glasses down on the coffee table as she stood.

" _Great_!" Anaya chirped with a little hop.

Kuvira walked, rushed, practically flew to the kitchen. She could've sworn she'd skidded to a stop against the smooth tile floor, whirling towards Korra as she worked. The diligent Avatar was busy sorting through some books of her own: Air Nomad pieces of history and wisdoms, if memory served.

"Psst!" Kuvira whispered. "Korra! Anaya wants to learn how to dance!"

Korra looked up from skimming one of her books, blinking in surprise. "Wait, really?"

" _Yes_!" Kuvira said, ecstatic. "She wants me to start giving her lessons!"

"Whoa!" Korra exclaimed, stepping away from the table towards Kuvira. "That's great!"

" _It is_!"

Korra chuckled at Kuvira's unbridled giddiness. "Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you this happy in a while!"

Kuvira gave a little squeal, squeezing her fists close to her face. "I can't _help_ it!"

Korra smirked indelibly with her hands on her hips, happy for how happy Kuvira was. She looked back at her stacks of books. "Alright, well, I think I've finally got these done, so I'll take the boys to the park or something, give you two some peace and quiet to learn. Knowing them, they'll probably want to join in too."

"They are such goofs, aren't they?" Kuvira agreed. She gasped, whirling around and holding her forehead. "Oh, goodness. I have to get ready!"

"Hold on," Korra suddenly said with brevity, reaching out and touching Kuvira's arm, her stopping. "Kuvira, I... Don't push yourself too hard, okay? You haven't done a full routine or anything for a while yet. You've been exercising a lot, and that's good, but...dancing's a little different, all the fancier stuff, right?"

Kuvira nodded reluctantly. "Well, it _can_ be, but—"

"Just...don't try to do too much too fast, alright?" Korra asked, stepping closer. "Please? For me? This is personal experience this is comin' from here. I mean, you _are_ the one that almost killed me when I made that mistake."

"Well, details."

"I just want you to take it in baby steps," Korra reiterated. "Walk before you run...okay?"

"Baby steps," Kuvira promised with a nod. "Of course. Easy."

Korra nodded back. She looked over towards the living room. "Hey, Park! Takeo! Wanna go see if Mrs. Chohun needs help with anything?! She might have some extra treats again!"

" _Yeah_!" the boys called back.

They ran into the kitchen almost immediately to leave with Korra, but not before jumping onto Kuvira to hug and kiss her, nearly knocking their mother over with affection. She told them and Korra to be safe, and after returning their goodbyes, she was alone.

Kuvira turned around with an exhale and looked, not at anything in particular, just staring into space with eyes big and bright, smiling like she just learned how. Thank Raava. This was _just_ what she needed today.

"...Oh! Ready! Gotta get ready..."

#

 _Just what I needed._

Kuvira sat on the floor of the living room as she waited for Anaya to get ready, cross-legged, her hair in her wispy braid, wearing a tank-top, loose pants, and wraps around her feet and hands. She pulled one of her arms over her head with the other, stretching, exhaling a bit as the tension released. Spirits, what a feeling. So familiar despite its distance, so positively invigorating. Adrenaline, something she hadn't had enough of lately. Healthy adrenalin rather. She even pushed the couch and a recliner out of the way for this.

"Are you ready, Mama!" Anaya asked, running out of her room, wearing a similar tank-top and loose pants.

"Oh, look at you," Kuvira breathed with a smile, dropping her arms at how much like her younger self her daughter seemed. "Yes, I'm ready if you are. There's just one little rule we need to follow," she said, holding up a single finger with her other hand on her hip. "We have to do this slowly, take it in baby steps. Korra's orders."

Anaya nodded as she took a seat on the floor cross-legged, hands in her lap, beyond eager to learn. "Okay, Mama!"

Kuvira got up a bit, squatting so that she balanced on her toes, arms crossed over her knees. "So, _Miss Anaya_ ," she inquired with a mock-interviewer's tone, "have you ever had any past experience with dancing?"

Anaya giggled. "A little bit. I always liked ballet, but I never really _did_ it, y'know? The other kids and I tried, but...we were never professionals like you and Grandma Su."

"Ah, I see," Kuvira said with a smile, glancing down. "I actually used to be the same exact way before Su took me in. I always wondered about trying, but...I just never got the chance to..."

She looked back up at her daughter, and smiled. "But, eventually, I did, and now you do too. Let's not waste it." She chuckled. "I don't know how long Korra will be able to keep Tak and Park away."

Anaya giggled as well. "Yeah, good plan."

"Let's start with some warm-up stretches," Kuvira said with a wave, them both standing up. She gently crossed her left arm over her chest rightward. "Arms first."

"Okay," Anaya said as she followed suit. "Does stretching make us more flexible?"

Kuvira cocked her head in thought as they switched arms. "Well, it's not so much that, but it does get your muscles and joints used to moving if you've been resting for too long. You don't want to move something too far and suddenly and get a cramp 'cause you weren't ready."

"Okay!"

They did the usual rigmarole that Kuvira always did before dancing: torso-pivoting, half-moons, sitting down with spread legs trying to touch their toes, and all other techniques Kuvira'd been taught by Su.

"Feeling good?" Kuvira asked Anaya as they finished their last stretch.

"Yeah," Anaya breathed with a little grin. They both sat back for a small moment, soaking in that warm, limber feeling. "So can we do some actual moves now? Or is there something else?"

"Hm... I think we're good enough to start some simple stuff," Kuvira said with a smile. She started to stand up, but found herself pursing her lip. "Huh... I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Anaya asked.

"If I can do a handstand," Kuvira answered, putting a hand flat on the floor. "I used to all the time."

"Oh," Anaya said, a little wary. "Are you...sure you should try?"

"I'll be fine," Kuvira said with a nod. "I'll be careful." She snorted with a smirk. "I'll make it quick so we don't waste any more precious time without your brothers interrupting us."

Anaya giggled. "Yeah, yeah, do it quick. I wanna see!"

Kuvira smiled and got on her hands and knees, then furrowed her brow as she concentrated. She pushed with her tip-toes a bit, getting the feel for the right momentum she needed. "Easy now..."

She planted her hands as flat and as firm on the floor as she could, making herself stable. She breathed in and out, and to her surprise, as she kicked her legs backward, assuming a handstand was just as easy as she remembered.

"Hey!" Anaya said with excitment. "You're doing it!"

Kuvira grunted with a grin, raising her head to look at the floor. "Yep! I am!" She winced as her arms wobbled a bit. "I just need to keep my legs up, and make sure I... _Agh_!"

Her right palm slipped just a hair too much, and she completely lost balance. She tried twisting midair so that she fell onto her right hip instead of her knees. She brought her leg up to displace the impact too, but it still hurt. The thud probably made it sound worse than it really was.

"O-Oh!" Anaya said, stepping. "Are you okay, Mama?"

Kuvira inhaled sharply as she moved onto her stomach with clenched fists, about to retort with something a little harsh, something like: "Just _give_ me a second and I'll be _fine_!"

But, instead, she stopped herself. She slowly looked up at Anaya, standing there just as patient as she was before, if not a little concerned for her mother's tumble.

Kuvira looked back down at the floor, flashing back to when she'd first gotten back into her daily exercise routine after her inauguration. She'd kept it simple: strictly two-handed push-ups, crunches, planks, nothing over the top, as per Korra's orders. But...she kept wanting to _push_ herself somehow. She, _Korra_ reminded her that even the Avatar had to take it slow after a long time out of the loop.

So, intuitive as Kuvira was, she had Park sit on her back as she planked, the toddler's little additional weight _just_ enough to make her work, but still keeping it easy. The fact that the silliness of the situation made them both giggle the entire time was incentive enough too, Kuvira's laughter actually making her fall to her belly several times. It was no longer a workout or a challenge when family was involved.

 _Baby steps._

"Y-Yes," Kuvira answered with a small exhale, pushing herself up onto one of her knees. "I'm fine, 'Naya, I'm okay. I just slipped is all."

"Okay," Anaya said, relieved. "It almost looked like you got hurt."

Kuvira chuckled. "Trust me, I've had worse, outside _and_ inside dancing." She got to her feet with a sigh, putting her hands on her hips. "So...what should we try?"

"Something safer than _handstands_ probably," Anaya said with a smirk.

Kuvira chuckled. "Good idea."

"Ooh, ooh!" Anaya suddenly chirped with a hop, remembering. "What about pirouettes?!"

Kuvira made a little gasp with a knowing grin. "Oh I don't know if I can do _that_!"

"It's easy!" Anaya insisted, holding her arms out as if she were a professional. "You just stay light on your feet and keep spinning!"

"I'll give it a try," Kuvira said, gently mirroring her daughter's pose with a grin. And here she thought she'd have to do a bunch of talking for this.

It wasn't important anymore. Within a minute, the two of them were giggling without a care, dancing their hearts out to a song that wasn't even playing.

* * *

 **NOTES:** I love the idea of Kuvira's kids all being little reflections of her in different ways. Takeo is her political intuition and bending prowess, Anaya her positivity and dancing, and Park her...innocence or something lol he's a bit young to be developing major narrative themes yet. I also really like the idea of Kuvira's fellow dancers all really warming up to each other and being friends. I couldn't help making that one dancer Kuvira does that one pose with a buddy of hers as well. Saiya's a fitting name for her right? I also really like Korra and Kuvira doing just about anything together. Also Kuvira. I like Kuvira. Blimey.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas! Here's my marginally-late present to you lol. I really really wanted to do an actual little Christmas-special type thing, but there's so little time for writing when meeting with family and I couldn't come up with any substantial ideas either, ugh.

As supplementation just imagine something dorky like Korra forcing Kuvira to try on a Santa hat, or Kuvira making snow angels with the kids, or Kuvira and Baatar getting a little wine-tipsy on a couch in front of the fireplace singing "Baby It's Cold Outside" to each other idk take your pick X3


	8. Please Rest

"This is asinine..." Kuvira muttered as she sat on the couch under a blanket. She coughed into a tissue and crumpled it with a sigh, sniffling with reddened eyes.

"This is the only time I'm ever going to say this in my entire life as Avatar," Korra said, busily gathering stuff from a nearby table, "but you deserve what's happening to you."

Kuvira emitted a weak little "heh-heh" kind of laugh before coughing again.

A fever-cold. She had a fever-cold. Why oh why did she have to catch one now. Korra's motherly chagrin wasn't unjustified. Kuvira actually knew she'd been feeling under the weather for two days now, but she thought she could just...work past it, ignore it, push right on through so that she could keep working. But that only made it hit her harder later, and now she was paying for it. A simple exhausted "oops" wasn't good enough justification for Korra.

"Ughh..." Kuvira groaned, nasally and congested. "What I'd give to have Su's green tea right now..."

"I can get her recipe," Korra peppily promised as she walked over. "In the meantime I know Iroh's: jasmine. Is that alright?"

Kuvira nodded with a sniff, balling her fuzzy blanket up by her mouth like a child. "Yeah...that should work..."

"I'll get right on it," Korra promised again, bending down a bit with a hand on her knee in front of Kuvira, holding up a thermometer. "Open up."

"Korra..." Kuvira tried to stop her in mumbly lethargic embarrassment.

"You wanna make yourself sick, I'm gonna make you better," Korra said decidedly, not taking any of Kuvira's nonsense. She made a bobbing motion with the thermometer, trying to make it enticing. "Come on." When the Prime Minister didn't budge, Korra rolled her eyes with a sigh, reaching her hand towards Kuvira's stomach without a word.

"N-N-No, don't!" Kuvira frantically stammered with wide eyes, now inexplicably energetic enough to jump up in her chair like a cat. "I'll open my mouth! I'll open my mouth, I promise!"

Korra chuckled and sighed, retracting her wiggly fingers. "Ohhh Raava. If only I'd known to tickle you when you tried conquering Zaofu."

"You might've actually won that fight," Kuvira muttered with embarrassment, coughing into her blanket.

"No, I _totally_ would've won," Korra corrected with a dastardly grin. "C'mon. Thermometer. Mouth. Now. Or I'll _really_ start tickling you."

Kuvira nodded with a roll of her eyes as she coughed once more, finally sitting up straight and opening her mouth with a weak "aah," letting Korra stick the thermometer in to take her temperature. "Thab'k you," she mumbled with it still in her mouth.

"You're very welcome," Korra softly returned with a crease of her brow, unable to stay very angry at her for long.

Kuvira meekly looked down for a moment as they waited for the thermometer to do its thing. Korra smiled, saying, "Your hair looks nice."

Kuvira's hair was nothing more than her usual bun, albeit with messy unkempt bangs thanks to her being sick and not caring. Nothing special. "You al'ways th'ay that..."

"Perhaps because it's always true," Korra softly sang.

"Perha'pths." Kuvira furrowed her brow in thought. "Why cab't you ju'th heal me with wa'berben'bing?"

"Um...i-it doesn't quite work like that," Korra tried explaining. "Healing mends bone and tissue back together. You can't really 'get rid' of a virus with it."

"O'hf cour'th," Kuvira grumbled.

"Hey, chin up, sister," Korra said. "You'll brush this off as soon as you caught it. You've had worse. A-Actually, don't move your chin at all. The thermometer is almost done."

Kuvira tried to stifle her giggles and failed, forcing Korra giggle as well.

After a small moment more, Korra finally took the thermometer out and looked at it with a hand on her hip. She sighed. "Yep. In the hundreds. Looks like _Miss Prime Minister_ is gonna have to take a day or two off to recuperate."

Kuvira groaned as she fell back into the couch.

" _Kuvira_ , at least _one_ of us needs to take care of your body."

" _I know_ , I know," Kuvira fussed and coughed. She sighed with a discontented rasp. "Parliament and I just had a bit of a breakthrough and they can't continue without me..."

"It's okay," Korra consoled, putting the thermometer away. "There's nothing wrong with you guys waiting until you're better. It's not like the Earth Kingdom's gonna collapse just 'cause you're out of office for a few days. That's what the council is for."

"True," Kuvira gravelly agreed. She cleared her throat as she wrapped her blanket around herself better, up to her neck.

A high-pitched squeaking started arising from the kitchen.

"Oh, good, the water's done," Korra breathed, turning to walk away. "Be right back! Chicken soup with a jasmine tea, coming right up!"

Kuvira nodded, and Korra hurried into the kitchen. She sniffed and cleared her throat as the Avatar diligently prepared her food for her. Yes, tea and soup would be _phenomenal_ right about now. She was glad the kids were still with the Beifongs at Zaofu. She didn't want them worrying about her or getting sick themselves.

Korra came back in under a minute (she probably cheated with waterbending) with a nice steaming bowl of soup, a nice steaming mug of tea, and a little "tada!" imbued with her usual chipperness.

Kuvira couldn't help but smile at the gesture. "Thank you," she said softly as she received the tea.

"I couldn't be doing anything less," Korra gently insisted, placing the soup on the couch-side table.

Kuvira smiled more and wrapped her hands around the warm mug of jasmine tea. Oh, it even felt good to _hold_. She brought it up to her mouth, deeply breathing in the steam to clear her sinuses, then took a sip. It was _bliss_.

"Anything else?" Korra asked. "Better blanket? Another pillow?"

Kuvira looked around herself for a moment. "No," she said, quietly content, "this is fine."

"Awesome," Korra returned, finally taking a seat next to her on the couch. She sighed heavily as she did so. "Gosh..."

"Don't go wearing yourself out too," Kuvira said, smirking. "We need your muscle around here."

Korra blew out her lips. "Me? Wear myself out? Since when?"

"...T—"

"Yeah don't answer that." Korra pondered for a moment as she gently stroked her chin. She smirked, and looked at Kuvira from the side. "You in the mood to answer a question?"

The Prime Minister finished another sip. Spirits was it so good. "Depends what subject?"

"Baatar?"

Kuvira could've sworn her fever momentarily lifted at his mention. "What about him?" she asked with a smile, taking another sip.

"Did he have to do this for you? N-Not sick-care stuff specifically. I mean did he always pull you back when you got too headstrong, to prevent you from getting sick in the first place?"

"Every day," Kuvira said softly with a smile, weakly but happily remembering one of those many occurances as she sipped her jasmine...

#

 _Several Days After Their Arrival..._

 _"Update me," Kuvira asked Baatar behind her, them both walking into the main train-car. "What're we looking at now?"_

 _"The upper ring is...stable," he relayed with an adjustment of his glasses, checking some maps of Ba Sing Se as they talked. "The palace is no longer being raided, but that could possibly change if any civilians get daring again."_

 _"I thought they picked it clean?" Kuvira said with a furrow of her brow._

 _Baatar snorted. "Same here, but who knows. The middle ring should be under control by now, assuming Leil and his men didn't hit any major road bumps, and the lower ring still needs confirmation."_

 _Kuvira sighed heavily as she leaned on one of the tables, eyes shut tight as she massaged the ridge of her nose. Spirits, she felt like Su. Is this why she declined Tenzin and Raiko's offer?_

 _Baatar looked at her for a moment in concern. "Are you okay, Kuvira?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder._

 _"I'm fine," Kuvira said, stern at first but easing up. "I just...need a moment..."_

 _Baatar still eyed her, not convinced. "Well...we have time to recuperate until Leil returns. I think you should take it."_

 _"I can't," Kuvira said, standing up fully again. "I'm going back out."_

 _"W-What?"_

 _"I'm going to help him," Kuvira said, glancing at Baatar. "The lower ring is more rural, but the middle ring still has homes and families that need to be secured. I can't rest just yet."_

 _"K-Kuvira, he's already got a squad with him. They're capable."_

 _Kuvira sighed. "It's not that. It's been_ days _like this, Baatar. We need all the hands we can spare to get this_ done _already."_

 _"Kuvira, you can't stabilize all of Ba Sing Se by yourself."_

 _"I will if I have to..." she muttered._

 _"_ Kuvira _!" Baatar suddenly pleaded, now holding her by her shoulders, surprising her. "Listen! Please. You haven't slept since we've gotten here. You know how important sleep is. You're the one that always tells_ me _to take a break from my work."_

 _"I-I know," Kuvira said absently, not looking directly at him. "But, I need to make sure that—"_

 _"_ You _don't have to," Baatar tried to convince. "This isn't all on you. There's a reason we brought Varrick and the others with us. There's a reason why_ I _came with you. You don't have to do all of this by yourself. Mother refused to, so we will instead. The troops and I will finish the basic clean up ourselves. That's all that's left really. You've done more than enough for us, for Ba Sing Se, for the Earth Kingdom."_

 _Kuvira's brow creased as she looked him in the eye. She felt like she was at a loss. "But...we're not done yet. Ba Sing Se is still in shambles."_

 _"One day at a time," Baatar insisted softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "We can quell the chaos first, and_ then _we start rebuilding._ _There's no major threat anymore._ _The rioters have calmed down and people still have homes to go to at least."_

 _Kuvira stood there with his hand on her face. She blinked hard, and looked down, suddenly growing heavy-headed. Spirits, was she really_ this _tired without realizing it? "I... Alright. Okay. You're right. I'll get some rest."_

 _Baatar smiled, holding her arms. "Thank you."_

 _After they hugged, Baatar left Kuvira alone for a moment to return the maps to the schematics room. When he walked back into the train-car, and looked over, he couldn't help but smile at what he saw._

 _Kuvira was already out cold. She laid sprawled across one of the couches on her stomach, an arm bent upward over her head and a leg hanging off the side, her hair messy as she snored quietly into her other bent arm. Baatar honestly couldn't remember the last time he had seen her like that. Back when they were both kids if anything, and even then she would've been embarrassed to know she'd been sleeping like that._

 _He heard footsteps. He turned, and saw Leil walking into the doorway, seeming relieved and happy. "Baatar!" he said. "There you are."_

 _"Leil?" Baatar asked, surprised to see him back so soon. "What is it?"_

 _Leil smiled as he relayed: "Tallen's squad just radioed in. All the rings are secure now. All civilians are finally going back in their homes. Step one is done. All that's left now is clean-up and infrastructure."_

 _Baatar sighed in massive relief. They'd been waiting for someone to speak those words for days. "Oh...goodness...finally. That's great to hear."_

 _Leil nodded. He looked over at the couch, noticing Kuvira. His usual militancy started to waver a bit. "Is...the Captain alright?"_

 _Baatar smirked a bit and looked over at her too. "Yes, she is. Just...a little tuckered out is all. She needs this."_

 _"I see," Leil said, smirking as well as he adjusted his footing. "Well then, um...should we wait?"_

 _"Yes," Baatar agreed, sneaking one last look at Kuvira. "We can wait."_

 _Ba Sing Se could wait to be officially declared safe and sanctioned, at least until its diligent little hero had gotten some rest first._

* * *

 **NOTES:** You know those fanarts out there of Kuvira and Baatar just like cuddling/sleeping together? That stuff gives me life, oh my goodness. Highlighting Kuvira's overly-ambitious nature is really humanizing too. Also I didn't foresee that little sick-intro thing being a thing, I thought this was just gonna be the Ba Sing Se flashback. But, the best stories are the ones that come naturally and out of the blue X3

Ironically while writing this my entire family came down with the flu, my mother had a stroke for the first time in her life, and my friend started having anxiety-induced-seizures(?) again. I would've gotten through this sooner but I had to help them. My mother and friend are making progress, the rest of my family is better now, and myself exhausted. It's like the universe doesn't want me to write I guess.

I really don't wanna extend anything major off of the flashback scene, ie writing about Kuvira AS the Great Uniter cuz well that's really depressing, but pre-that and afterwards? It's just rife with adorable nonsense. Next chapter will be equally so :3


	9. Wait, Since When?

**Note:** Before the adoptions, but well after Kuvira's been freed.

* * *

Korra gently kicked the front door open with the toe of her boot, faux-singing some rhythm to herself with a grin. She was carrying in groceries, at least three bags on each arm. She could've carried more. What was she gonna do? Make another trip? She might as well give up being Avatar right now if she was gonna admit defeat like that.

 _Man today was good._

She continued singing her little song as she walked into the kitchen, bobbing her head to the beat as she set all the bags on the table. She kicked the fridge door open, and started unpacking the bags, setting a cabbage and a head of broccoli on the middle shelf.

" _Always_ gotta have broccoli..." she reminded herself, imitating Kuvira's usual fastidiousness as she worked. "If we're gonna be fighting and working and all that, we need the nutrition. Did you know broccoli's actually got some good protein? You know how jacked I made Baatar right? 'Cause of the protein." Korra giggled, grabbing another cabbage. "She's such a weirdo."

" _Left my heart..._ " someone softly sung, " _in Republic City..._ "

Korra froze. She furrowed her brow and raised her head, only to bonk it against the top of the fridge door. She winced and took a precautionary step―well, just cautionary now―backwards, rubbing her head as she looked over at the living room door, the singing emanating from it.

Was... Was that _Kuvira_? No one else but her should've been in their home, but...

 _There's no way..._

Korra looked between the door and the fridge. A smirk crept onto her face. She quickly set her cabbage next to the milk and broccoli, slowly and silently closed the door, and started to tip-toe, not daring to make a sound as she made her way over to the living room.

She put her hand on the door-frame, and as she peeked around, her mouth opened with a smile. She could not believe what she was seeing.

Sure enough, Kuvira sat on the couch folding laundry, singing along with the coffee-table radio. Not in a deliberate or loud way, certainly not like she was "rocking out" or anything like that. It was more like a lullaby to herself, actually...

" _I lost it to you..._ " Kuvira gently went on with the music, " _and I didn't even know it was gone..._ "

She was on the chorus, the very last chorus Korra deduced from the added layers of instruments. She didn't know if she was ever going to admit it out-loud, but Kuvira... She had a _really_ nice voice, just really warm in a way, and her low raspiness only added to the song. It was almost enthralling. Though, Korra mentally censured herself for thinking such a thought, as that kind of compliment would have been mortifying for Kuvira to hear. Too descriptive. Would've "made her squeamish."

" _If you ever gave it back to me...I'd only give it back...to you..._ "

The little finishing piece went on for a few seconds, and the song came to an end. Kuvira looked at the radio, and emitted a little "hm" of contentment as she went back to the clothes, like nothing had even happened.

"Wow," Korra breathed. Out-loud. Her eyes widened. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

 _Ah spirits..._

Kuvira looked up in her seat. She whirled around, her eyes widening with realization and embarrassment. "K- _Korra_?!"

 _Oh Raava..._

"Um...I-I'm back!" Korra announced, walking into the living room fully.

"W-What're you doing here?!" Kuvira asked, making a quick flick of her hand to metalbend the radio dial off.

"Wu finished early!" Korra explained. "He didn't have any other plans, so he said I should just go back home! So I did! Picked up the groceries on the way!" She smiled and put a hand on her hip. "I didn't know you could sing!"

"I... I-I _can't_!" Kuvira insisted, floundering for an explanation. "This is... That was just... I just really like that song, alright?!"

"But you were so _good_ at it!" Korra said, walking up closer to the couch.

Kuvira sighed, turning back around and tossing the shirt she was holding into the laundry basket. "Hardly. I was barely even audible. It wasn't even a lullaby."

"It sounded okay to _me_!" Korra insisted. She pursed her lip in thought. "Can you sing _me_ a lullaby sometime?"

Kuvira looked back up at her with an expression that was something inbetween disdain and embarrassment, like she'd just taste-tested some sour milk.

"Okay maybe not," Korra agreed. She giggled with her hands on her hips. "Gosh, a dancer _and_ a singer."

"I'm not a singer!" Kuvira fussed. "I could never do something like that!"

Korra furrowed her brow. "But you've done so many speeches and rhetoric and stuff before. You still can! You probably _will_ , Miss Prime Minister!"

"Th-that's not the same," Kuvira said, briefly smirking at the reminder of her future occupation. "People don't pay attention to your voice or how you say things. Well, kind of, but..." She sighed. "It's the _what_ that's most important, not the how. I can get a message across far better than a melody."

"Wait so you're okay with people paying attention to your _body_?" Korra asked.

Kuvira looked up at one of the walls blankly, mildly perturbed. "Korra don't take dancing away from me. It was _group_ dancing! All of us, together! Multiple parts of a whole scene!" She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "We were _clothed_. It was Interpretative! Not...C- _Can Can_!"

"I get it, I get it," Korra giggled as she sat down next to Kuvira. "I'm just teasing you."

Kuvira snorted and rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Here I was, thinking I could enjoy myself and just do some chores for a while..."

"Oh because living with me is so bad."

Kuvira gave Korra a frown, trying to seem displeased, but a smirk inevitably broke her face and she looked down chuckling. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," she admitted. "Everything in moderation?"

"I'm flattered," Korra said with a smirk. She pursed her lip for a moment in thought. "Why _do_ you like _Left My Heart_ so much?"

Kuvira spent a long moment rubbing the back of her hand. Her answer nearly broke Korra's heart:

"It reminds me of you."

"W-What? How?"

"Because...that's... Y-You're..." Kuvira inhaled, trying to finds her words. "You helped me there, Republic City. You helped me realize what I was doing, helped me change. Y-You saved me... _twice_. I can't _not_ feel something for there, you know?"

She looked at Korra, and Korra nodded, gently listening. Kuvira continued.

"Most teenagers probably think that song's all about romance and dating and ' _their first kiss_ ' and all that, and I used to think the same, but..." She rubbed her wrist. "Republic City's always felt different that day, and that song just...describes all of it."

Korra looked at Kuvira look at the floor, then gathered her own thoughts for a moment. She smiled as she said, "I feel the same exact way."

"W-What?" Kuvira stammered, looking back up at her.

Korra nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. It fits. It works. That spirit portal, even when I went there with Asami...it's always made me think of _you_. It's always been _your_ spirit portal. Well, _ours_ I guess, but...I made it with you. It's like a monument to your rebirth kinda. I think of you every time I see it. Sometimes even just looking at it makes me tear up."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, no!" Korra laughed, touching Kuvira's shoulder. "I wouldn't want it any other way! Sometimes it's nice to have an unexpected, cleansing cry once and a while."

Kuvira chuckled as well. "Oh my goodness Korra, you... Really? You've felt this all this time?"

"Ever since you pushed yourself out of my arms on that flower bed."

Kuvira creased her brow, bearing some sort of sad smile. "I... I don't know what to say, I..." She looked down again, touching her head. "Spirits..."

Korra chuckled softly, rubbing Kuvira's shoulder. "Same here, same here..." She snorted with a smirk. "Well, if anything, even if you're not good at it, I still think the kids are gonna _love_ having a mom singing to them like you do before they go to bed. At any time really."

Kuvira's eyes widened, her voice soft. "Oh my gosh..."

"What?"

"I'm... I'm going to have _kids_ ," Kuvira said, holding her cheeks, the realization hitting her. "I'm _adopting_ kids..."

"And they're gonna love you _so_ much," Korra said, gently putting her arms around Kuvira. "You're gonna be everything they've needed from a family." She chuckled softly. "And I'm here too. It's not like you're gonna have to sell yourself to them or anything. They already love you."

Kuvira nodded a little in her embrace. "Yeah..."

Korra glanced down for a moment. "You want _me_ to sing you a lullaby now?"

Kuvira's eyes slowly danced over the floor. "S-Sure."

"Same song?"

"Yes please..."

Korra smiled as she rested her head on top of Kuvira's. She knew the words to _Left My Heart in Republic City_ by heart as well, having heard it plenty of times while training with Mako and Bolin back when they all used to pro-bend. Singing it was effortless, practically unconscious.

After a few lines, Kuvira spoke up. "You're not that bad a singer yourself."

Korra's singing involuntarily bubbled into giggles. "Now _that's_ a lie."

Kuvira started giggling as well, her voice light and bubbly with laughter, damn infectious, just as much of a song to Korra as _Left My Heart_ , if not more.

 _Ugh, scratch that—definitely more._

* * *

 **NOTES:** There's a fanart out there of Kuvira in like a green dress with red lipstick and all that while she's holding a stage mic, something about an AU where she takes to jazz singing, and *adjusts glasses* while that's insurmountably delightful I don't quite exactly see Kuvira of all people doing it, not in any forward fashion at least. *Dancer, after all. The second it's "for show" I can't not see her getting kinda embarrassed, as seen here. As modest as Korra is cocky lol.

FYI, "Left My Heart in Republic City" _is_ actually an actual Legend of Korra soundtrack, but it's an instrumental piece. I made up the lyrics Kuvira sings here myself. They've always floated around my head when I heard that song. Hope they sound alright.

I didn't foresee this becoming such a feel-sy chapter there. I thought it was just gonna be more of a cute little embarrassing thing. Guess it's both :)

(Also quick update on my friend if you've read the last chapter, don't want anyone potentially worrying here: turns out the kid's just Celiac. He's allergic to pretty much everything that's not meat or vegetables, and it mingled with previous symptoms from previous anxieties. I've actually been the same way for a long time now. He's already making gluten-free cookie recipes and stuff like that and they're surprisingly delicious lol. He's back to normal now. Always a trooper.)


End file.
